Owari No Seraph: Protectorate
by Nitebreaker
Summary: Asuramaru's and Yuichiro's love has survived a crucial test, but now, alongside old comrades and enemies, they face a threat unlike anything either of them has ever imagined. Their love survived; will they? If they don't, the universe is doomed. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

Owari no Seraph: Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 1: Curve Balls

….

 _I don't own the characters from "Owari No Seraph." Would that I did._

… _._

The military jetcopter sped over the badlands, being careful to skirt the Deadlands, on its way to its destination. Within, Captain Yuichiro Hyakuya watched over the sleeping form of the demon known as Asuramaru. Watched him while holding his hand.

Never wanting to let him go.

"Yu?" Yu turned to see his best friend, Mikaela Hyakuya, just stooping to enter the small compartment where they were. Mika put a hand on Yu's shoulder. "He'll be alright, Yu. Everything'll be alright."

Yu didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. So much had happened.

After a terrible argument, Asuramaru had decided that Yu, whom he felt he'd driven away forever, meant more to him than his own life, and had tried to kill himself by slicing his own arm open with the magical sword bearing his name. Somehow, Yu had sensed that, and had raced back to his room, barely in time to save his…

…his…

The love of his life. The one person in all the universes, both that were and were not, that he could not live without.

He looked back at the sleeping demon's face. It was relaxed and calm; they'd given him some sedatives specifically tailored to vampire biology. He was resting comfortably.

"Come on, Yu." Mika indicated some blankets next to Asuramaru's cot. "He'll be okay. But you need some rest too. Now, come on, don't fight me on this…" And he led Yu over to the improvised cot. "We'll be there shortly. You need to be at least rested up enough to walk without weaving back and forth. It'd play hell with your image if I had to carry you. More hell than usual, I mean." Mika's best friend and blood brother had developed such an awesome reputation during the Vampire Wars as a force of destruction, that most humans, and even some vampires, went for cover when they saw him coming. Mika laid him down on the blankets, stuffed a rolled-up blanket under his head, made sure he was comfortable, and, after a brief inspection, left. He paused at the doorway, looking back.

Even though neither Yu nor Asuramaru had moved, something about them communicated their feelings to Mika. He shook his head. They might not be physically holding hands at the moment, but he _knew_ , somehow, that in their hearts, they would always be linked by far stronger bonds than that.

Mika went into the forward cockpit. Major General Guren Ichinose acknowledged him with a brief nod. "How are they?"

"They're fine. Just exhausted." He directed his attention to the view from the forward windshield. "How soon till we get there?"

"We should be just coming up on it, now." Sure enough, a low mountain range hove into view. The copter made for it, not slowing down.

"That's it?"

"The base is actually below the range. You'd best make sure Captain Hyakuya's and Prince Asuramaru's harnesses are secure, and strap in yourself." As he spoke, the jetcopter began to decelerate, its blades unfolding and coming to life, circling in, zeroing in on a specific part. Mika could see a shadowed area begin to take form as a portion of the mountainside gave way, a gateway opening into the hidden fortress within. Guren's mouth drew into a line as he tried to come up with a good way of reporting recent events to his superior…

"He's what?" The question clearly communicated the speaker's complete and total surprise. The figure on the rose-adorned throne shifted slightly, in itself as much an indication of shock as General Guren had ever recalled his Queen as expressing. Krul Tepes' expression was, for the first time in Guren's recollection, one of complete amazement. "What did you say, General?"

"Your Highness, mind you, I've not yet spoken more than a dozen words with either of them, but from all accounts, I believe it safe to say that they're-*"

"In love. My brother. In love with a mortal. And another man, at that." She sat back on the Rose Throne, her face slack with shock. She took a moment to digest this, then straightened, sitting there on the throne. "Well, brother," she murmured, too low for anyone but Guren to hear, "you always did have a knack for surprising me." She turned her attention back to Guren. "Alright. Assign them quarters in the royal sector. As soon as they're awake, I want to know. _Especially_ my brother. I've some…questions for him."

Asuramaru came to a groggy consciousness, already reaching out with both his supernatural senses and his purely physical ones for Yu. Then he suddenly sat up; Yu was nowhere within his range. "Easy," said a voice beside him, a familiar voice.

His vision focused and he looked up to see Sayuri Hanayori standing over him. "Take it easy," she soothed. "You've been through an ordeal."

Why was she here? Asuramaru put a hand to his head. "I…Sayuri? Where…is he? Where am _I_? What's going on?"

"He's fine," she soothed further, holding a bulb of blood up to him. He'd been given blood transfusions—one good thing about being a vampire, blood type didn't matter—but he still needed simple nourishment, if for no other reason, than to jump-start his biological systems. He took the bulb from her and drank, thirstily, still wondering why _she_ was here.

He'd done his best to drive her away. He knew now that he'd been motivated by jealousy, jealousy of her and Yu's previous relationship. So he'd pretended to be _involved_ with Yu, yes, in precisely _that way,_ trying to produce that same feeling in _her._ He'd thought it had worked.

So why was she here? "Where's Yu?" he asked again.

"He's fine," she repeated. "He's recovering in the room down the hall from you."

"Recovering? But…" Then he noticed the bulb in his hand. It _had_ tasted _very_ familiar, very sweet and good. And the flavor… "Oh…"

"Yeah. He couldn't wait to give blood for you." She glanced up at the bags hanging from the racks, and quirked a smile. "We had to humor him. It was either that or he'd barge in here and deliver his blood _personally._ "

 _Part of me wishes he had,_ thought Asuramaru. But in his condition… He put the bulb on the nightstand and sat up as well as he could, given the circumstances. The hospital gown, standard for patients everywhere, was drafty in the back, and Asuramaru, like many demons, was acutely conscious of the cold. "But…where are we?" He could sense the human's emotions. She knew about his and Yu's relationship, and she wasn't put off by it. Instead, her caring, her friendship with Yu had extended itself to his new love, the Black Demon Asuramaru.

"You're deep within Sanctuary Prime. We're about five hundred miles from your old home. Don't worry; we brought everything with us." She patted his arm, the one not connected to the IV. "But take your time. You need to get your strength back. Someone very important wants to speak to you, ASAP."

"Who, exactly, is it that needs to see me in such a hurry?"

"The Rose Queen herself. Your sister. Krul Tepes."

 _Gulp!_

….

 _{{Where are you? Are you still out there?_

 _{{I have to find you.}}_

"Easy, Yu," Mika was beside his bed as he came awake. "You're exhausted. Take a couple of minutes. Everything's fine. Better than I had hoped for, actually. At least," he said, in a low voice, which Yu couldn't quite make out, a frown coming over his face, "I think it is."

"Where…where's Maru?"

"Right down the hall, doing the same thing you are, only faster. He's fine, Yu. Just get to where you can stand without falling over and I'll take you to him."

Yu put a hand to his head. It seemed like he'd dreamed something, something very important… "Where are we?"

"A place called Sanctuary Prime. Your old commander, Guren Ichinose, seems to be second in command here. But all that can wait."

"No, it _can't._ I've gotta see Maru!"

"Not yet. He's not fully recovered and neither are you. You gave an awful lot of blood, especially for someone who already consisted of no more than one single frayed nerve to begin with. Now come on. Look, I'll personally make sure he's alright, okay? You trust me to take care of that, don't you?"

"Yeah." He lay back. If he couldn't trust Mika, it meant the world was ending.

Something about that last phrase seemed to resonate within his mind.

"O…kay. Just…I just wanna see him as soon as I can."

"I know. You were asking about him, in your sleep."

"I was?"

"You were saying, 'where are you?' And, 'I have to find you.' Plus a few other words I couldn't quite make out, but I'm reasonably sure they were along the same lines."

"Oh…well, yeah. I mean…Mika…" _Mika, I don't understand it, but I'm in love with a Black Demon, a vampire, and I can't bear to be parted from him. I never saw this coming._

But Mika could read his blood-brother like a book. _Funny, the curve balls life throws you._ The boy who'd wanted nothing more than to kill vampires… "Just rest a bit, Yu. Everything's under control." And Yu, trusting in him, drifted off back to sleep.

 _{{Are you still out there, in the Deadlands?_

 _{{I have to find you._

 _{{The universe is ending, and I have to find you.}}_

…

"You sent for me, Your Majesty?" Asuramaru bowed in respect towards the slim figure on the throne.

"Please, Ashura. We're alone, and this hardly formal. I just wanted to see how my big brother's been. After all, it's been… quite a while. Come. Have a seat." She indicated a nearby chair. "I've taken the liberty of ordering you some O negative. I remember that was your favorite type, from when we were children."

"You've a good memory, Krul. And I should take this time to say I appreciate the…rescue." The expression on his face was one Krul never thought she'd see: shame. "I fear I let my emotions get the better of me. Again."

"Indeed you did. Ashura, what happened? I mean, between you and Yuichiro? What _has_ happened, I mean? I'm not trying to pry, but it's rather important."

But Asuramaru just shook his head. "Sister, in a million years, I would never have foreseen what has happened. Not only am I physical, once again-and the curse appears to be, at least partially, broken, by the way, but…I'm...in love." He looked up at her. "With a mortal human, at that. As I said, I would have never foreseen it."

 _Funny,_ thought the Rose Queen, _the curve balls life throws you...the demon who didn't want to have anything more to do with humans, who hated them..._ "So…you are in love with him. How does he feel about you?"

"The same." As a demon specializing in emotions, Asuramaru was quite certain of his lover's feelings. They were as obvious to him as sunlight is to a plant. He smiled, a bit shamefacedly. "Perhaps, had I not been so blinded to the truth, I would have seen it sooner." He paused, toying with his bulb of blood. Then his smile broadened, as he remembered. "But we were having way too much fun fighting."

"Yes, I…heard about some of that. Well, brother. If you are both certain of that…then there are some details that need addressing."

They chatted a bit longer, and Asuramaru left, pale as a sheet.

He found Yu in the main lounge talking with Mika and Guren. At his entrance, Yu immediately leaped to his feet and enveloped Asuramaru in a bear hug. "Maru, I was starting to get worried! Where were you?"

"Just having a little chat with my sister. How are you feeling?"

" _Much_ better now. Just knowing you're alright…" It was like he couldn't let go, and Asuramaru returned the gesture, holding him so tightly, he was afraid the curse chains would spring forth. But they didn't. They were only activated when Asuramaru intended Yu harm, and Asuramaru intended anything _but_ harm to his lover.

He held him even tighter. It felt so _good_ to hold Yu once again…to hold him, and even more, to be held _by_ him. "I'm fine. Hard to beat vampire recovery speed. But, Yu…" And here his voice took on a serious turn that immediately alerted Yu that something was amiss. "Well, let's just say there's some things we need to talk about." He glanced, significantly, at Mika and Guren, who swiftly excused themselves. "My sister has allotted us quarters in the royal sector. Come; I'll show you where they are." And he led him by the hand down the hallway. Halfway there, he paused. "Uhm, Yu?"

"Yes, Maru?" He could tell something was eating at Maru, something he was having a hard time expressing.

"I…it's nothing. It can wait. Come on!"

The rooms proved to be spacious and lavishly furnished. The bed was a huge and round, and one of the softest Yu had ever seen. He sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing on it, slightly. "Wow. Your sister really went all out." He went over to the window. The drapes were of a heavy, old-world variety, with the Tepes family crest inscribed in gold design. Gold tassels bordered the edges, with the predominating color being a rose-red. Not surprisingly (considering that the entire palace was originally constructed by and for vampires), they were completely opaque.

Asuramaru came and sat on the bed. Something still seemed to be on his mind. "Yes, yes, she did. Yu? Come sit by me, would you?" Yu complied, mystified as to why Asuramaru seemed so worried. "Yu? How…how do you feel about me?"

"What? Maru, I love you. You ought to know that without me telling you; you can sense emotions, right?"

Again that nervousness, and he fumbled with his fingers in his lap. "Yes, Yu, I can sense what you're feeling. But being able to sense what you're feeling right now doesn't always translate over into telling how you _will_ feel, in the…near future."

He slid over to him, put an arm around the Black Demon. "Alright, Maru. Spit it out. Something's bothering you, and if it's bothering you, it's bothering me. So let's have it. Your sister didn't…I mean, she doesn't, like, _disapprove_ of us, did she?"

"No, no, nothing like that." More finger-fumbling. "Quite the opposite, in fact. She's happy for us." This was a very different demon than the one Yu had first met on the astral plane, but then, he was in a very different situation, one his experience had never prepared him for. And, like all mortal beings, and, for that matter, all _immortal_ ones, those whose environments were subject to being changed, he'd changed. He'd had to. "Yu, have you noticed where we are?"

"Sure. One of the royal suites. It's really nice." Yu had been used to sleeping in barracks and out in the field. He wondered if he'd even be able to go to sleep on such a soft mattress, were he to try. Well, not to worry; he was sure Mika had brought his futon. There was room over by the window. Or, more probably, in the next room. After all, this room was where Maru was assigned to sleep.

"And what we're sitting on?"

"Sure. A bed. Nothing unusual there, is there?"

Asuramaru leaned back on his hands, one leg crossed over the other in front of him. "Yu, it's a _marriage_ bed."

"A… _what_ now?" He heard the clear inflection in Maru's voice. What was a _marriage_ bed?

"A custom from the old days." He was studiously looking everywhere but at Yu. "We…are to 'consummate our relationship,' quote unquote, here. Tonight."

Whoa. "You mean…we're expected to…?"

"Yes. Tonight. Right here." He patted the bed they were sitting on. "In this bed. We get in as two...we get out as one."

"Oh. Well, I…see why you're nervous." He was beginning to feel a touch of nerves himself; this was a little sudden. "Can she do that? I mean, order us to, to…"

"She's actually cutting us a break," Asuramaru said, again looking everywhere but at him. "In the old days, there were supposed to be witnesses."

" _Witnesses?"_

"Witnesses. That was to insure that the…offspring," he was obviously searching for the right wording, "would be legitimate heirs to…whatever station in life they were…born into. Of course, in our case, _that_ part isn't a concern," he said, looking at his hands, "But it was also to, well, to insure that the couple _had_ relations in the first place." He shrugged, shifting and sitting forward on the bed, clearly embarrassed. "It had been known to happen. You don't need email to have long-distance 'hook-ups' that never actually 'hook up.'" He looked up at Yu, an anxious expression on his face. "Don't…don't you _want_ to?"

Yu had been thinking: wow. Things sure had been _different_ in those days. Now he looked at him, startled. "Of _course_ I do! But, I don't care who she is, I'm not gonna be stampeded into doing something you're not ready for!"

Asuramaru leaned up against him, his head on Yu's shoulder, his hand going across Yu's chest. Yu's arm went around him automatically. "But that's just it. I _do_ want to. I'm just…well, I guess I'm just nervous, is all. For...more than one reason."

Later: Lying in bed together, they were naked beneath the covers. "Well," said Asuramaru, "Here we are." _Oh, that was brilliant, Ashura. Why don't you try for an unintelligible grunt next time?_

 _Here I am, the demon of desire, and I don't know what to do next._

Yu's mouth was dry. "Yeah." His fingers were wrapped tightly around Maru's. Then he decided: _What the heck, Yu. Time to go for broke._ _But first…one last check…_ He turned to Asuramaru, propping his head up on his elbow. "Maru, if this is whole sudden thing is really making you this uncomfortable…"

Asuramaru sighed. "It's…not that, Yu. Yeah, it makes me nervous, but that's not the biggest concern. There's still one more thing, and more time wouldn't make that go away. It's…I…I guess I worry that…I worry that I won't be…what you want. After all, "He dropped his gaze, removing his hand from Yu's, "I'm not a girl. I mean…oh, you know what I mean."

In response, Yu reached over and pulled the Black Demon to him, pulling him into an embrace, their naked bodies touching. Feeling Maru's nude body pressed up against his…it was a more wonderful sensation than he'd ever even imagined. Way better than anything he'd ever experienced before. "Maru. You can sense my emotions, can't you?"

"Yeah?"

"Then you ought to know that, even if things go no further tonight than this, you've _already_ been…everything I hoped for, and then some. I'm no love guru, but even I know that love is a great deal more than just sex. People can have sex, and yet not love each other. It's like…like cake compared to a full meal. However," and with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he pulled him in closer, and kissed him. "There. That was just some icing on the cake." Another kiss. "There. More icing." Yet another kiss. "Even more icing." Then he sobered. "You know, I have the same worry. I worry you won't be…satisfied with me. I mean, it's not like I know all about how this works…I'm just kinda feeling my way along. But this is your first time, and I really want it to be special.

Asuramaru reached up and caressed his face. "It will be. Because _you're_ special." He blushed and smiled simultaneously, pressing up even closer, his arousal clearly evident to Yu. "Crazy human. The icing's good, but I think I'm ready for the meal now."

….

"Are you sure about this? This is…how it works?"

"I'm sure there's more than just this. This is just something I pulled out of the air to, you know, get us...started, let's just say. An ice-breaker. After all, this is gonna be our first time, and I want it to be extra _extra_ -special." They were still lying in bed, naked, but Asuramaru was now lying on top of Yu, the physical evidence of his arousal (which was bordering on painful) throbbing. "Just move like I showed you."

"Like…like this?" The petroleum jelly helped reduce friction. His physical body was already confirming the motions, however. Ooooh, yeah….

"Just like that. Oh, I almost forgot…" He reached up and put something in his ears.

"What was that?" Asuramaru was still curious, even as he was rapidly reaching the point of no return.

Yu shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Oh, just a little...precaution."

….

The next day: Asuramaru again met with Krul Tepes in the throne room. She had just been finishing up with some reports, and dismissed the couriers who'd brought them, placing the folders aside. "Well, big brother, how did it go?"

"It went well," said Asuramaru, again taking the proffered seat. Then he blushed. "What am I saying. It went _fantastic._ " He nodded, remembering. "The earplugs turned out to be a really good idea."

"You wore earplugs?"

A smug smile. "Not _me_."

Krul closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ah, brother, that borders on Too Much Information."

…

Asuramaru sneaked back into the room he shared with Yu. _My love,_ he thought, looking fondly at the sleeping human. At one time, not all that long ago, he'd have thought that was nuts. A demon, let alone a _Black_ demon, the worst of the worst, actually _in love?_ And with a _mortal?_

He swiftly slid out of his dress, and, once again naked, slipped underneath the covers with Yu. Rolled partially towards him, propping his head up on his elbow and just watched Yu sleep. He could not imagine a more beautiful sight. _Two of us. Together. One flesh._

 _I'm home._

 _After all I've been through, the places I've been, I'm finally home._

He moved over towards Yu as close as he could without waking the crazy human. _Heh,_ he thought. Not all that long ago, that had been his derogatory description of Yu. Now…

Funny, the curve balls life throws you.

He didn't want to wake Yu up, but he did want to talk to him. Something was bothering his sister, something Yu might have some insight on. Unlike mortals, and most vampires, Asuramaru couldn't completely read Krul's emotions very well, but maybe Yu had heard something from Guren or one of the others. Yes, something was bothering her, and he got the impression that, not only was time of the essence, but that it somehow involved them. Something big.

Yu's eyelids fluttered, and he awoke, to see who was next to him: his love, Asuramaru. "Hey, beautiful."

"I was just about to say the same thing." Asuramaru pressed up against him, his kisses once again arousing them both. _How could a simple kiss turn me on like this?_ Then he drew back slightly. "Yu, I've a question."

"Shoot."

"Does it seem, to you, like everybody here's a little… _tense_ , I guess, is the best word for it?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, it does. Guren especially. He was asking me something the other day I thought was kinda odd." He rolled over on his back, hands behind his head, thinking.

"Oh? What?"

"About that last patrol I was on, the one I had just come back from, before I contacted you. Asking me if I remembered anything unusual about it."

Asuramaru thought. "Hm. He'd have access to the reports, so...something not in any official report, then. What did you tell him?"

"Of course, I remembered it. It's hard to forget the Deadlands."

"The Deadlands?"

"Yeah. There's this part of the countryside up towards the north from the old base, that's completely barren of all life. I mean, _everything._ You never see a bird, a bug, a plant…nothing. Even the air seems…still. No wind. It never rains, and…nobody sleeps there. Nobody seems to know why, or if they do, they aren't telling, but our patrol commander told us that. 'Don't ever go to sleep there in the Deadlands.' Those exact words. We wondered why, but we figured it was maybe just enemy action. But it's called 'the Deadlands.' The badlands are pretty barren, but they're basically just deserts. But…when you're there, you somehow know the Deadlands are something...different. Worse, yeah, but mostly just _different._ I don't know how to explain it. You just... _feel_ it."

"What caused them?"

He shrugged. "No one knows. Most people seem to think it was due to some sort of experimental weapons testing from the old days, or something like that." But he didn't sound convinced. "But I can't even imagine what sort of, of, whatever would produce something like that."

"Yu…you were there. What do _you_ think caused them?" He traced a finger on Yu's chest.

He was silent for a minute, hands behind his head, thinking. "Something…out of the ordinary. I would say, 'supernatural,' but…not the ordinary kind of supernatural, if you get my drift. Something _way_ out of the ordinary." He turned his head towards him. "Why? Did Krul mention anything?"

"No…and that's peculiar, because I get the distinct impression something's bothering her. Something _really_ big. Something she keeps dancing around. For some reason, she doesn't want to bring it up, it seems like. At least not directly." Now he lay back on _his_ back, staring at the ceiling. "But whatever it is, I can sense that it somehow involves us."

"Us? Why would it involve you? For that matter, I don't see how it could involve either of us, really. I mean, the Deadlands are just there."

Asuramaru shook his head. He'd tied his hair up before getting in bed with Yu, and Yu wanted so badly to run his fingers through it. That wonderful hair… "Don't know. I wonder if it doesn't have something to do with high angel activity, though."

"Angels?"

"Yeah. Remember, I warned you about them." He paused. "Not the seraphs humans experimented with. Those are a lower order, not much different from demons, or vampires, actually." Another pause. "You think vampires and demons are bad. You can't negotiate with high angels. You can't even really communicate with them. They aren't interested in anything you have to say. They're a totally different form of life, a completely different order of being, from somewhere a long way from anywhere we know or can even guess. 'Angels' is really just a term we used to refer to 'em. What they actually are, may be something completely different from anything we know of. In fact, I'd be surprised if it wasn't. You saw some, back in my realm, my old realm, I mean."

"Yeah. They did seem pretty… intimidating."

"Believe me, they're scarier than you know. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they just come, deliver their message, and go.

"Most of the time, that message is 'die.'"

…

Mika entered Krul's throne room, bowing deferentially. "You asked for these reports, My Lady?"

"Indeed I did. What did you determine back at that old base, by the by?" She'd sent him on a clandestine mission back to the base they'd extracted Yu and Asuramaru from.

Mika shook his head. "I went in as close as I dared, your Majesty, as per your orders, without being detected. I could sense no sign of life. However, I also sensed no indication of any sort of battle. I would have thought that any battle, no matter how one-sided, would have left some sign of itself."

"No sign of any attack?"

"None, My Lady. There were no signs of bodies. Even given the Purifier custom of retrieving any and all corpses, there should have been some."

"Mm." Krul had a bulb of blood in her hand, looking over the reports. There wasn't much in them. It was as Mika had said: no evidence of any attacks. But there was more. "Mika, I want you to take a squadron. Go in there and see…if you can determine anything. Anything that might have bearing on our current…dilemma.

"Of course, it goes without saying, don't endanger your own life or those with you. This isn't a combat situation. But I'm…getting what you call a 'bad vibe' from this whole thing. You went to that base before, to meet with its commander, Ansen, and you spoke with Sayuri and Yuichiro while there. Yet now…"

Mika nodded, completing his monarch's statement. "My Queen, it looks as though no one has been there for a thousand years."

 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: Tests

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 2: Tests

…

 _Again, don't own, you know._

 _Please read and review!_

… _._

Chapter 2: Tests

Mika bowed. "At once, My Queen." He turned to go, but then paused. "Uh, My Queen? Your brother and Yu…they _are_ alright, aren't they?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"It's just, during the night, I could have sworn I heard the most terrific scream coming from their quarters…"

"They're fine," she replied shortly. "I've already checked. Now, I need that report ASAP. Take whomever you wish, and you might need to take some forensics people with you.

"Just in case."

Again, Asuramaru went to his sister, but this time, of his own accord. He was determined to find out just what Krul had been indirectly referring to, and how it related to his and Yu's situation. "Sister? I think we need to talk." Hands on his hips.

"Really, Ashura, this isn't a good time. Trust me, the time will come. It'll have to, no matter what. I'll need your input on some things. Now. I've been looking over this scroll you were so kind to provide me." She tossed the scroll on the floor. "It's complete gibberish. I know several ancient tongues, and this is none of them. Nor can any of my advisors decipher it. As you said, the scroll, the spell on it, should have done nothing whatsoever. But obviously, it did. But how, I don't have a clue."

Asuramaru picked up the scroll from the floor. "Nor do I. From what Yu told me, he couldn't find anything _right_ about it, let alone anything wrong. But I'll ask him."

"Good, see that you do. Though it would be the first time when a mortal could make sense out of something no vampire could." She turned pensive, twirling her bulb. "He _must_ have seen something right about it before; otherwise, why use it?" She turned to Asuramaru suddenly. "Brother, how much do you weigh?"

"Eh? About...maybe one hundred pounds, perhaps a bit less. I haven't weighed myself since coming over. Why?"

"Because, whatever that scroll did—if the scroll, in fact, did anything—it basically had to _create_ enough raw matter to reproduce your physical body. Our cascade reactors are among the most efficient I've ever seen, and they run, properly tuned, at about a twenty percent conversion rate, to change matter into usable energy. And that's only a very small amount, mind you, of the original reactive mass. It would take…" Her eyes took on a far off look as she did the math in her head, "...it would take a minimum of five hundred such reactors, linked together, to produce enough energy to make even a pound of that hundred pounds of yours. So figure, one hundred times that… And that's not counting on how much it would take to restore your physical body...and make it live. Ashura, there aren't that many such reactors in the entire Western State. It would take a positively _colossal_ amount of energy. You just don't throw that much energy around without _some_ side effects _._ I'm not completely certain that enclosing the sun in radiation collectors would produce enough energy to do all that...and have nobody notice. Because obviously, nobody saw or sensed anything unusual happening.

"Anyway, I've sent Mika on an exploratory mission back to your old base. But what he's telling me is…disturbing. Ashura, what was it like when you were there?"

Asuramaru shrugged. "I… didn't have much contact with the base's personnel. I was more concerned with _avoiding_ them than interacting with them. About the only one I did have any sort of contact with was Sayuri, and…well, that was the cause of our problems."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Mika is telling me he can detect no signs of life there. Nor any signs of attack, either. Did Yu tell you anything about that?"

Another shrug. "Not particularly. He did mention an impending Purifier attack, and that they might have the Apocalypse virus. Would that have any bearing on matters?"

"Doubtful. Had anyone, Purifier or otherwise, attacked with the Apocalypse virus, there would be certain to be a _lot_ of dead bodies lying about _somewhere_. Even if the Purifiers sought to reclaim their dead—and they're not above reclaiming the other side's dead, for whatever purpose amuses them—still, there should have been bodies. And signs of recent attack. Yet there were none." She leaned against the table. "It's a puzzlement."

Asuramaru shifted in his seat, crossing his legs. _Now or never._ "Sister, does this have anything to do with the Deadlands?"

Krul looked up in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"Yu mentioned that General Guren asked him about his last foray into the Deadlands. I had never heard of them before now. And, being an empath, I've sensed the general tension surrounding this place. I can tell, even without seeing it, that you've opened the deepest caverns to such as can be crammed into them. Not only that," he inclined his head towards the deepest caverns, "you've set the moles," referring to the giant drilling machines the vampires had used to construct their underground bases, "to widening and deepening those that already exist, and to create more. That bespeaks of a last-resort measure. I can sense the emotions around this place, this fortress you've built. Krul, this is perhaps the mightiest, strongest fortress Earth-of any age-has ever seen, and here you are, convinced you'll soon see it fall. If you thought otherwise, you'd have no need for such extreme measures.

"And I can sense your emotions. Krul, I've never, in all my life, known you to be _afraid_. Of anything. What are you hiding from me, sister?"

Krul closed her eyes. It was a good thing they were having this conversation in private. "Brother, all that will have to wait until you both are ready to hear the full story. And I know I've been asking you a lot of questions, and answering none, but one more I have to ask: your beloved, Yuichiro Hyakuya. Does he seem…like the same person you knew from…before?" Meaning when Yu had first bonded with the demon. Something about the way she asked that caused a chill to run up Asuramaru's spine.

"He…has matured. He has changed. But then, that is the nature of mortal beings. For that matter, I like to think I have, too. My experiences in the mortal plane wrought some changes in me, as well." He got up and went over to the window. Outside, the lights of the underground city glowed and glimmered. It was nearly Christmas time, and Asuramaru wondered if humans still celebrated that ancient holiday anymore. He could sense emotions of anticipation from the populace outside the castle…and emotions of worry, anxiety, and stark terror from those both inside and outside. "Before, I knew he was lying about being a friend to me. Even had I not possessed my empathic powers…well, he was pretty obvious about it." A smile quirked at the corners of his mouth as he turned to the Rose Queen. "I mostly wanted to see how far he'd go, what he was willing to sacrifice."

"Ashura…you knew all that from the beginning."

Asuramaru crossed his arms, and looked down to the floor. "Yes, I did. I…" And here he paused. Krul had an idea what was coming. "I suppose I _was_ …lonely." To his sister's look, he replied, "Being a demon, on the astral plane, not to mention being bound to a cursed weapon, can be rather lonely, sister. One is completely alone in one's own isolated pocket dimension. And although no time truly passes there, I was aware, sensing the passage of time through the emotions of mortals, of just how long I'd been…alone. So when he proposed being my friend…he was partially honest. He said he didn't want to hurt me—I think at the time, he truly meant it—and that he wanted me to help him save Mika. I...could tell he truly meant that part, and I suppose I chose to believe the rest."

"But would you have ever engaged in any sort of close, intimate relationship with that person?"

"Never," he answered immediately. "Neither one of us was ready. For that matter, when I was first brought over this time, I would never have done so."

"So…your relationship changed."

"Yes. Sister, what are you saying? Perhaps you forget that I can sense emotions, not just in humans, but in you, as well. You are still keeping something from me."

Krul waved it away. "As I said, it will have to wait. I've sent Mika on a fact-finding mission to your former base. I expect him back any time now. Then…I will answer all your questions."

Asuramaru smiled. "He is devoted to you."

"Yes, ever since I essentially rescued him from that bastard Ferid Bathory's clutches. Not that he needed much in the way of that, I imagine. Much more abuse, and I doubt Bathory's head would still be on his shoulders." She swirled the blood in the bulb around. "He's a sweet lad. Though he does seem to have a bit of a leg fetish. Or at least as far as _my_ legs go. Many's the time I offered him a perfectly good wrist, already sliced and dripping blood, only to have him make a flying leap for my legs. That reminds me: have you ever heard the term 'Cowabunga'? I've researched all the old reference manuals, and I can find no mention of it."

Asuramaru shook his head. "I'll ask Yu."

"Anyway," Krul continued, "until he was fully turned—and remind me to thank your lover for that, by the way—I had the rattiest looking hose in the entire palace. I went around looking like a street urchin."

"Well, as I said, he _is_ devoted to you."

"I might have been the only person who'd ever shown him any kindness…" Her exquisite features twisted into a snarl. "That bastard vampire Ferid Bathory certainly didn't. I think it actually amused him to...do Mika the way he did. I...owe him for the pain he's caused." Asuramaru heard something in his sister's voice that made him extremely glad he wasn't Ferid Bathory.

"Hm." Asuramaru's expression became crafty. "Sister, I sense he is devoted to you on more than one level."

Krul waved it off. "Now, _that's_ nonsense. He's my most trustworthy lieutenant, my right hand. He serves under me…"

"I'm sure he'd have no objection to serving under you in _another_ way." A mischievous smile. Like all siblings, Asuramaru loved to torture his sister.

"Now, _that's_ more poppycock. Besides, I wouldn't want to do that to him…"

"So do it _with_ him. That's usually the way it works, isn't it?"

"Brother, let's let that drop, all right? I've far more important things on my mind right now."

 _You certainly do._ Asuramaru's careful teasing had evoked many thoughts associated with those emotions, made them easier to read. He conceded _temporary_ defeat. But he'd planted the seed... "Well, then, I suppose we'll just have to wait on Mika's report." _All these delays. It must be something big._

… _._

Mika came back the next day, bringing his report of the apparently abandoned base. "Your Majesty, had I not been there myself naught but a few days before, I would have sworn no one had set foot in that fortress in centuries."

Krul swirled her bulb of blood. She seemed to be drinking an awful lot of blood these days, Mika thought. More so than usual. "So…impressions?"

Mika shrugged. "I have no idea, Your Majesty. I know of no magic or weapon that could produce such an effect…have your own sorcerers been able to come up with anything?"

"No. Now, what of the other matter?"

Mika approached the Rose Throne, holding out a small metal object. "We found the Purifier base, just as your intel told us. There was nothing living inside. There weren't even any bones or cobwebs. I set and placed the timer, as per your orders, and we left to return to the perimeter for the period of time of exactly five minutes, as measured by our own chronometers. Then I went back in to retrieve the timer." He held it up.

"Well? What does it say?"

"Your Majesty…perhaps you'd best read it for yourself."

Krul took the proffered timer, looked at the elapsed time on the digital readout. A cold chill went through her body.

 _11,223 years._

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Reunions

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 3: Reunions

…

 _Don't own Owari no Seraph. Was anyone under the impression I did? Okay, just checking._

… _.._

Chapter 3: Reunions

...

"You'll love meeting the rest of Moon Demon Company, Maru, trust me. And they're gonna love meeting you!" _Especially Yoichi Saotome._

"I hope so," fretted Maru, "After all, I _am_ still a demon. And…" But he got no further, as they rounded the corner.

Now it would come, Yuichiro was certain. The minute they came within sight of the others, here would come Yoichi. Yoichi, who never met a stranger. " _Asuramaru! It's so good to meet you, at last! Welcome to the family!"_ He'd probably have to physically brace Maru up so he wouldn't fall over from Yoichi's exuberant embrace. _Now, don't be alarmed, Maru,_ he'd say, _he's not attacking, this is just his way of saying hello._

Except…except Maru wasn't looking any differently, certainly not any differently than he would normally have. Yu turned his gaze to the members of Moon Demon Company: Shinoa, Sayuri, Shiho Kimizuki….in fact, the only one he didn't see was….

"Where's Yoichi?" Even as he asked it, something cold coalesced within his guts. The only reason Yoichi wouldn't be here would be because—*

"He's dead," said Kimizuki. Sayuri kicked him in the shin. "Ow! What?! He asked!"

Yuichiro felt numb, as if he'd been given a shot of Novocain all over his body. Yoichi Saotome? Dead? But…but he was immortal, unkillable, his childlike enthusiasm could never d—*

He felt Maru at his side, arms around him, his vampire strength holding him up. Why was he doing that? It wasn't nec—

—cessary...except for some reason, his right foot wasn't obeying his commands. Now it seemed like his left foot joined the rebellion... "It's alright, Yu. I'm here. We're all here. Don't be afraid. " It seemed like there was an explosion of lights all around him, as though he was in the midst of a giant Christmas tree. He was dimly aware of the others crowding around him, expressions of sudden concern on their faces…..

….before darkness consumed him.

…..

Later: He couldn't have said how much later, it just felt later. "He's coming around," said a voice.

"Who do you suppose he was asking ab-* Ow! What did I do _this_ time?"

"Yu?" This voice was _very_ familiar, and thoroughly welcome. "M-Maru?"

"Yeah, Yu. I'm here." He could feel him supporting his head, holding it in his lap. "Just take it easy."

"Hey, brother of mine," said another familiar, and also very welcome, voice. He opened his eyes to see Mika looking at him with a shaky smile. "Don't go scarin' me like that, 'kay?"

 _I feel like that girl in the old movie, what was it called? Oh, yes, the Wizard of Oz, where she wakes up and sees familiar faces all around...but remembers something else, too._ "I guess I'm...back in Kansas, huh?"

"What?" Maru's voice turned concerned, as he glanced up at Mika. "This isn't Kansas. He's not delusional, is he?" He paused, focusing his senses. "No, not hallucinating…" But that just caused his worry to spike all the more.

But Mika just put a comforting hand on the demon's wrist. "It's a figure of speech, Asuramaru." He directed a searching, probing look at Yu. "Yu? Where...where have you been?"

"Somewhere...I don't know. But somewhere else. Somewhen else. Some...I don't know what...else." He grimaced and put a hand up to his head. "Where's Yoichi?"

This time he heard a grunt, as Sayuri's fingers found a pressure point on Kimizuki's larynx.

Mika was patting his hand. Why were they all so concerned about him, anyway? So he passed out. Funny thing to pass out about, though, simply his learning that Yoichi was—* "Remember, Yu? Yoichi...isn't with us, anymore."

He sat up, his hand on his head. "I'm alright, everyone. And, yeah, I know you told me Yoichi was dead." He winced.

"Except I just came from talking to him."

…..

 _There: "Hey, Yu. It's great seeing you again!" Yu felt a pair of arms thrown around him. They could only belong to one person: nothing, not even death itself, could erase Yoichi's exuberance. "I was beginning to think I was the only one!"_

" _Er, wha-_ _Yoichi_ _? Aren't...I mean, aren't you...dead? The others told me… Wait. If you're dead...just where are we?"_ If you're dead, does that mean I am, too? I'm not ready to die! _Visions of his new life with Maru ran across his mind._ There's too much I want to do! _Yu gazed around at the formless colorless nothingness. Yoichi was there, as was a grim horned figure in black sitting off to the side. Except...he wasn't sitting on anything. "Who-?"_

" _Oh, that's Gekkoin. You remember, my demon?"_

" _Hey, I'm not YOUR demon, human, and don't forget it!" snapped the figure in black._

 _Yoichi turned to the demon, his expression unchanged. "You're my demon, and I'm your human. Don't you see?" But Gekkoin just_ _hrmphed_ _and looked away._

" _Wait, wait. Yoichi, WHERE ARE WE?"_

" _Hey, don't panic, Yu! Nobody's dead or anything! We're just…. Ooops," and Yu saw that, to his growing horror, that the figure of Yoichi was growing fainter. "Looks like you gotta go back. It's not time, yet. But I'll be here, next time. We both will. And here." Once again, he flung his increasingly insubstantial arms around Yuichiro. "Give Asuramaru that for me, would'ja? Tell 'im I said…." But before he could finish the sentence, Yu found himself…._

Back. "I...don't know where I was. Out of body experience? I dunno. But...if that was a hallucination of Yoichi, it was one damn good hallucination. _"_

"It was no hallucination, Yu." Maru was more pale than Yu had ever seen him, even when recovering from his binge back at the old base, when he'd needed blood so desperately. "I was monitoring you. You, your spirit, your _soul_ , just...wasn't _here._ I don't know any better way to put it." He gulped, fighting back tears. "I, I was afraid you'd died."

Yu shifted position to where he was kneeling along with him, by his side and hugged him. "Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easy. I told you, I'm in this for the long haul. And I meant it."

Mika stood up, looking around at them all. "The Queen must be told."

…

"Really?" The Rose Queen was watering her flowers. She had attendants to do such things, but sometimes she enjoyed doing it herself. A personal touch...and she was sure the roses appreciated her attention, too. "You had a fainting spell, and believed you were talking to your old friend? That hardly counts as vital information, Yuichiro."

"Except for where our conversation took place, Your Majesty." He turned, and pointed towards the northeast. "That black dome you've been so careful to not mention. Out there in what used to be the Deadlands." He turned back to a suddenly pale Krul Tepes. "It's growing, isn't it?"

 _To be continued…_


	4. Ch4: A Question Not to be Asked Lightly

Owari no Seraph: Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 4: A Question Not to Be Asked Lightly

….

 _I don't own any of the Owari no Seraph franchise. Just to let you know._

 _Sigh._

… _._

Chapter 4: A Question Not to be Asked Lightly

….. 

"So," said Krul, "you know."

"Yes. Though not until just now. I _wondered_ why you were being so evasive; you didn't want to give anything away, see what we really knew about it."

" _Do_ you know anything else about it?"

"Only what I've inferred from General Guren's questions." Guren grunted; he'd thought he'd been discreet enough. "I gather it has something to do with my patrol to that region. And I know for a fact it wasn't there before. So...a recent phenomenon, then?"

Krul blew out an unnecessary breath. "Very recent. It just appeared, pretty much out of nowhere, for no apparent reason, just...a little over a month ago. Though I confess it's haunted my dreams for a good deal longer." She grimaced, looking down at her shoe buckle. "People talk about the 'gift' of prophecy," she half-snarled. "Prophecy is a curse, not a gift." She refocused her attention on Yu. "Nobody was conducting any sort of experiments out there. Not even, from our intel, the Eastern Empire." She crossed over to a wide screened console, picking up a remote along the way. Mika watched with interest. He'd known about the dome, but he hadn't known much. Mostly how and why to avoid it. Now, perhaps, he'd learn more.

And he would _not_ leave his Queen's side, not without _very_ good reason.

"Also, it's not a dome; it's a sphere. What we're seeing is just the top part."

Krul pointed the controller at the screen, which came to life, showing an image of the deserted area. Right in the middle of the picture was an enormous, totally black dome, so black it was actually impossible to see. All substances, no matter how dark, still reflect _some_ light, and by that, one can often make out irregularities, bumps, cracks in said substance. But of this thing...nothing. It was like a cut-out in the universe itself. "It was smaller than this, when it first appeared. But, as you surmised, Captain, it has been growing, at a slow but steady rate. And...well, let me show you." Another press of the controller, and the view shifted to that from another monitor less than a mile from the object. It showed the edge of the dome...and right around the leading edge was a border of absolute blackness seemingly in and on the surrounding rocky ground, a few meters wide. It looked like an extension of the black dome into the earth itself. The camera zoomed in. "Nothing can touch that border and live. It hasn't always been there. At first, you could walk right up to the dome, and even put your hand on it. You couldn't _feel_ anything, but you could survive the experience. Now…"

Another shift, and the monitor showed four humans dressed in bright orange jumpsuits making their way across the desert sands to the black border. "Slaves from the Eastern Empire." The Easterners had adopted a somewhat _different_ view on vampire-human relations than the Western State had. They didn't hesitate, but just walked straight up to the black border...and collapsed just as they contacted it. Collapsed and did not move. Then, those parts of their bodies actually in contact with the black matter just seemed to... _shrivel,_ somehow, diminishing into ash almost instantly. Yu was reminded of the way vampire's bodies disappeared once they were truly slain.

It also wasn't lost on him that the slaves had walked, apparently willingly, into what they had to know was certain death. That, he thought with a chill, said something about the way humans were treated in the Eastern Empire. "This wasn't their first attempt at, I suppose, establishing some measurements on the black matter, and how it operates. We had our own scanners going at the time. They must have known, but didn't seem to care." She smiled, grimly. "A matter of priorities, I'm guessing."

"Sooo….what did happen to those bodies? I saw them disappear…"

"We don't know. We do know their vital systems ceased immediately, and their mass was reduced to almost nothing in an incredibly short span of time. Then it disappeared altogether. Apparently, nobody ever told this...phenomenon about conservation of mass and energy. Or maybe it just doesn't care." She sat back on her throne, wearily. "We tried communication, at first, thinking it might be evidence of intelligent life forms not of Earth, or even a living entity in itself. Nothing. So, when we ascertained it was beginning to grow, we felt we had no choice but to resort to military measures. Again, nothing. We've thrown everything we have up against it, and haven't made so much as a scratch." Maru looked at his sister in concern. He'd never seen her this... _despondent_ before. "We calculate that, at its current rate of growth, it will expand to enclose the planet within a century. That may seem like a long time—to humans. But we vampires tend to take a longer view of things."

Yu was silent, stroking his chin. Maru looked at him worriedly. There was more going on in his soul than he could decipher. "You might be surprised, Your Majesty. We humans can take the long view...especially when it's something like this."

Krul looked down, as though a bit abased. "I apologize, Yuichiro. I wasn't suggesting that humans weren't _capable_ of taking the long view." She looked up, her expression hardening. "Only that they traditionally _haven't_." Here she turned her attention to her brother, who was standing right by Yu, holding his arm. His grip tightened; he suddenly knew what was coming.

She looked back at Yu. "The thing is, as far as our Intel can determine, you, Yuichiro Hyakuya, were the last living thing to cross that expanse now covered by the dome. And...you've...changed, in significant ways, ways others close to you," her eyes flickered at Maru, for just a split second, "have...noticed, but thought nothing of, ever since you returned from that patrol." She stood up, went to the table, and picked up a folder. "These are the reports from your old company." She opened the folder to a certain spot. "Captain Yuichiro Hyakuya. Went out on patrol on 122.6, in an area bordering the Deadlands. Went missing. Was searched for; not found. Returned, without warning, on 123.6 with no memory of any unusual events. Was surprised to learn it was the next day. Was examined; nothing out of the ordinary was found. Simply had no memory of anything since going out on his patrol the previous day. It is thought, from data collected from his trail, and what memory he did have, that he must have passed through the Deadlands. And…" she hesitated, briefly, "by all accounts, must have remained there overnight." She closed the folder and sat back on the throne. And here she nodded with her head at the screen, "so…" She turned back to him, and spoke in a confrontational manner, "I have to ask you a question I've tried very hard not to ask, at least, not in the presence of my brother.

"Are you really Yuichiro Hyakuya, or are you some... _thing_...that looks like him?"

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: Proof Positive

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 5: Proof Positive

…..

 _I receive no remuneration from the Owari no Seraph franchises / books / manga / anime / fill-in-the-blank. Wish I did._

….

Chapter 5: Proof Positive

…..

 _What has gone before:_

Krul looked back at Yu. "The thing is, as far as our intel can determine, you, Yuichiro Hyakuya, were the last living thing to cross that expanse now covered by the dome. And...you've...changed, in significant ways, ways others close to you," her eyes flickered at Maru, for just a split second, "have...noticed, but thought nothing of, ever since you returned from that patrol." She stood up, went to the table, and picked up a folder. "These are the reports from your old company." She opened the folder to a certain spot. "Captain Yuichiro Hyakuya. Went out on patrol on 122.26, in an area bordering the Deadlands. Went missing. Was searched for; not found. Returned, without warning, on 123.26 with no memory of any unusual events. Was surprised to learn it was the next day. Was examined; nothing out of the ordinary was found. Simply had no memory of anything since going out on his patrol the previous day. It is thought, from data collected from his trail, and what memory he did have, that he must have passed through the Deadlands. And…" she hesitated, briefly, "by all accounts, must have remained there overnight." She closed the folder and sat back on the throne. And here she nodded with her head at the screen, "so…" She turned back to him, and spoke in a confrontational manner, "I have to ask you a question I've tried very hard not to ask, at least, not in the presence of my brother.

"Are you really Yuichiro Hyakuya, or are you some... _thing_...that looks like him?"

…

 _Now:_

On the way back to their quarters: Yuichiro and Asuramaru walked slowly, each of them contemplating what they'd been shown...and asked.

Yuichiro did notice that, for once, Maru did not hold on to his hand.

They went back to the room, and, in an absent-minded sort of way, prepared for bed. Yu followed his usual procedure: shower, brush his teeth, sleep pants. He had been in the habit of wearing nothing at all to bed lately, but something told him that tonight...perhaps, just perhaps, it might be a good idea.

Neither of them said a word the entire time.

Maru was already in bed. He was naked, even though he still had his pink pajamas from their time at the old base. So he didn't have to be. Yu found that to be a tremendous relief.

For some reason.

For a long time they lay, side by side, again for once not holding hands, both of them on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. Yu waited. He knew that, right now, Maru's soul was a tornado of feelings.

And doubt.

He wondered himself. _Was_ he the same Yuichiro Hyakuya who'd walked into the Deadlands? If he was a perfect duplicate, how would he know?

He knew one way. One sure way.

"Yu?"

"Yes, Maru?"

"I'm...sorry if I seem...I mean, distant tonight. Distracted, I mean. I don't mean to be."

"Maru, may I hold your hand?"

"Huh? You have to ask?"

He took his hand. "Look, that was an atomic bomb of a question, I know. And...I understand if you...doubt me. I mean, _I_ know I'm me, but, but if I was a, a, I don't know, a perfect replica? How would you know? But..." He turned his face back up to the ceiling. This was hard for him to say. "You wouldn't. And...so you doubt. You wonder. Did I marry an inhuman monster? A shapeshifter? An android? Something grown in a vat, and implanted with false memories? I...can understand. I don't blame you, is what I'm saying." He hoped his gulp wasn't audible all the way over across the bed.

Now Maru turned over towards him, resting his head on his elbow. "Yu...I admit, that question did throw me for a loop, as the saying goes. And, yeah, I...wondered." Maru paused, lowering his eyes. "My, my empathic powers should help here, but Krul made a point: whatever you did, outdid every atomic reaction we've ever even imagined. It would have required an _unbelievable_ amount of energy to, to essentially _create_ a body like this one. And a _living_ one at that. And remember: not only did you-or something-produce that kind of power, but you-or something-also broke the curse. I'm in the physical world now, unfettered by the curse. I'm not sure if even any magic could have done that. At least, not any known magic. It would take...some other power." He gestured to himself. "And you know what? I have the same dilemma. Did you really bring over the demon Asuramaru, or something that thinks he is? And _I_ think I'm me, but, but how can I be sure?

"Yu...do you have any idea about...when we were together back at the old base? What you did, what you _were_ to me, even before I fell in love with you? Or realized I was, at least?"

"Tell me," he said softly. He put an arm around the Black Demon and drew him in to a soft embrace. "Tell me."

Maru pressed his face up against Yu's chest. "You were...there's no other term for it... _perfect._ I mean, once I came over...I was a bitch. I knew that, even then. But you were calm, kind, considerate, patient, willing to do _anything_ for me. You _protected_ me from any possible harm, at your own risk, and at a time when I really needed it, when my powers seemed gone for good. You _cared_ about me, you cared _for_ me, all at a time in my life when I needed it the most. You were _loving to me before we fell in love._ I mean, you were _everything_ I needed, and everything I could even _want_. If I had to design you myself, from the basic atomic structure up, I would've come up with something _exactly_ like you." He quirked a smile. "Though I probably would've made you _eager_ to give me that delicious blood of yours." And here, he glanced up in surprise, remembering. "But, actually, now that I think about it, you were, weren't you? When I, when we first came here…"

Yu could see his lover's concern spiking. He put his fingers to Maru's lips. "Sh. I...guess I can see how it must've looked. I prefer to think I just put all that immature behavior behind me when the wars ended. I mean, my best friend was a vampire; we were getting vampire allies, and he was one. So that...I guess, had an effect on my feelings. I had to change. And I met Krul and the others, vampires who were actually _people_ instead of just, just horrible murdering monsters. Vampires I was proud to know and serve with. To serve _under_." He gestured with his head in the general direction of the throne room. "The boy became a man. At least, that's what I believe.

"And then I met you. Again.

"And I think it was sorta the same with you. You at first believed humans were dirty, disgusting creatures the world really didn't need. But then...you got to know me. And I don't think it's going too far to say that just knowing me, as a person, even the cad I was, back then, caused you to change, to a degree, inside. Then when we met again, you met a human who'd, who really _cared_ about you.

"I know there's more, but doesn't that sorta sum it up?"

Maru nodded his head against Yu's chest. "Yeah. That's...pretty much it." _And it's kinda scary how you know all that._

 _Yu...how_ _do_ _you know all that?_

"Well, I've been thinking about it, and there's one thing I can do to put your mind at ease." Maru looked up in surprise, and, Yu thought, a bit of alarm. "I can _prove_ , beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am, in fact, the original Yuichiro Hyakuya. The one you first bonded with, all those years ago." Maru's alarmed expression spread across his face. "You see," he began, "I-*

But Maru put a finger across his lips. "No, Yu. Don't tell me. Don't _ever_ tell me. Okay? _Ever._ "

"Whu-* B-but, if it'll put your mind at ease…."

He snuggled in closer, deeper. "That's not it. If you showed me this 'proof,' it would mean, to me, at least, that, on some level, I needed it. That I didn't trust you. And, and, Yu, any relationship that doesn't have a solid foundation of trust isn't going to last. A-and I want ours to last...forever. For me, that means _literally_ forever, and, and I'll figure something out for you.

"So, if you love me, don't ever show me this proof you have. Okay? Promise?" His eyes implored Yu's.

Of course, there was no way Yu could refuse, and he could see Maru's point. He kissed his upraised face. "Okay. I promise."

A smiling Maru snuggled in even closer. "Good. I'll accept that. See, Yu...if I don't trust you, then that's _my_ problem." He sobered. "Though I won't say you won't be called upon to prove it to...others." _Like my sister._ "But don't you _ever_ feel like you have to prove it to me.

"'Cause even if you're some kinda perfect replica, and the 'real' Yuichiro is somewhere out there, _I don't really care. You're_ the 'crazy human' I fell in love with." Yu could feel Maru feeling around below his waist. "What th'? _Sleep pants?_ You actually came to bed _wearing something?_ Haven't we _had_ this discussion? Or do you want me to rip them off of you? Again?"

…..

"Well, General? Any thoughts? I think it safe to say things just got a bit stranger. I admit, I didn't think that was possible."

Guren grunted. "Yuichiro claimed to have been _inside_ that dome, and to've spoken with an old comrade, one whom we know to be dead. Yes, I'd say things have gotten a bit stranger."

"So...what _do_ we know? One," he ticked them off on his hands, "the dome seems to be impervious to anything we have, and unresponsive to communication. Two, it's surrounded by a kill zone; nothing living can cross that barrier. There's nothing in the Deadlands to determine, but I would bet the effect, whatever it is, extends upward as well. We might need to test that, someway.

"Three: the only person who apparently was inside the dome, God only knows how, claimed to have spoken with an old teammate and friend. Not for long, but he did. A teammate whom we know to be dead…"

" _Do_ we know? As I recall, no body was recovered."

Guren spread his hands. "The explosion left nothing _to_ recover, My Lady. And we searched. Very thoroughly."

"So," pondered Krul, "the only information we have, that we didn't already know, was brought to us by a man who went through the Deadlands before the dome was there...and who seems to have changed." She looked miserable.

"My Lady?"

She shook her head. "General, there's one thing we _have_ to know, before proceeding any further. Summon Yuichiro Hyakuya.

"Or whatever it is that's pretending to be him."

…

Yu and Maru had made gentle love that night, and, at the moment, Maru was lying in Yu's embrace, his own arms around him. But while Yu slept, Asuramaru found himself wondering some things. Some disturbing things.

Because it was a legitimate question: _Was_ he Ashura Tepes, or some sort of duplicate? Was the "real" him still over on the astral plane, still standing on the end of that sword, still hating...still all alone?

Or...and this posed him the most disturbing possibility...was he somehow asleep-or some equivalent thereof-over there and dreaming this whole thing? Knowing something of dreams, he knew that you could dream an entire life, between the closing of your eyes and their opening the next second. And...this life was pretty good.

He was surrounded by good people, by friends, and people who counted him as a friend. He'd never had that before. And he was in love. All that under the rule of the one person in all his universe whom he thought would be the best ruler of them all.

And...he glanced up at the sleeping form of Yu. He'd found love, and it was better than anything he'd ever imagined.

Might he not be dreaming, somehow, still over on the astral plane? Might he not wake up, any second now, still in his empty domain, his heart a puckered scar? With no Sanctuary Prime, no friends?

No Yu?

Just how would he handle that?

He'd have to endure it for all his endless, immortal days. But leaving Paradise for cold reality would be...beyond terrible.

 _No. I won't let that happen. If I have to keep my eyes closed for all Eternity, I will._

He held Yu a little closer, and the human stirred in his sleep, tightening his own grip on Maru. Neither one of them were really tired from their lovemaking, but both of them liked to sleep in each other's arms. It brought good dreams to them both. Maru could manipulate the dreams of others, but not his own.

Someone signaled for entrance, and Maru pretended to be asleep, knowing that his confusion, worry, and, yes, his mental anguish would communicate itself to his lover. Very very carefully, Yu disengaged himself from Maru, put on a robe, and went to see who it was calling at this time of night.

It was Shinoa, in uniform, but rubbing the sleep out of her own eyes. "Yu? I'm sorry to bother you at this time of night, but the Queen wants to see you. About what, I don't know."

"I think I do," Asuramaru heard him say. "Tell them I'll be there as soon as I get dressed." She gave him a thumbs up, but Yu couldn't help but notice her glance around the apartment, hoping (he guessed) to catch a glimpse of Asuramaru. "He's sleeping, Shinoa. I'll tell him where I am so he won't worry.

"But I think he won't want to be there."

….

"Maru?" Maru pretended to wake up, groggily. "Hm? Yu? What, what is it?" His hair was tousled from their night's activities; Yu thought he looked so cute like that...

Yu sat on the opposite side of the bed. He'd dressed, and was in full uniform. "I got a call from the Throne. I guess we both know what it's about.

"Did...do you want to go?"

Maru sat up and kissed him. "No, Yu. I've got all the proof I need." His hand slid over Yu's body, and he laid his head on Yu's back. "Right here.

"Just...Promise me you'll come back to me.

"Promise me you'll always come back to me.

"And I promise I'll always be here, waiting for you."

…..

The Throne room: "Captain Hyakuya. I'm sorry for waking you at this time of night, but there are certain plans we have to make. Before we plan anything of a definite nature, though, there is one thing we all need to know." General Guren, standing by her side, had an expression on his face that bordered between stern, grim, and none. Mika, also present, just plain looked uncomfortable.

"You need to know if I'm me."

"Yes. Is there anything you can say or do to lay our doubts and fears to rest?"

"Your Majesty, I've been thinking along those same lines. I wondered myself, if I was me." A smile briefly decorated the corner of his face. "That may sound contradictory, but...it was a worry to me, too. After all, if my memories were somehow recorded and reproduced inside another body...

"But after giving it some thought, yes, as it turns out, I _can_ produce proof positive that I am the same Yuichiro Hyakuya who first bonded with your brother, all those years ago. Something definite. Proof beyond a shadow of any doubt."

"Then, please. Produce it, if you would."

Thirty minutes later: the Rose Queen was walking back to her quarters, General Guren by her side. They were both so deep in thought that either one of them could have easily walked into a wall without noticing it. "So." Krul's voice was hushed, almost _awed,_ thought Guren. He guessed he could understand, considering what they'd just seen. He was a bit stunned, himself. After...that... "Now we know. There's no doubt, anymore."

"That would be my conclusion, as well, My Queen." He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes, I might have doubted. But no, there's no longer any doubt. Any force or Power that could duplicate _that,_ well...nothing could. If it did, the duplication would have to be so perfect that he would effectively _be_ Yuichiro Hyakuya, anyway, and just as entitled to the name and identity as the, well, the original. But I don't believe, any more, that he could possibly be other than who he says he is." He thought. "And, 'A difference that makes no difference, _is_ no difference.'"

"That sounds like a quote from something."

"It is, but I can't remember from just where. It was from before the End, though. Some ancient holy book, unless I'm very mistaken, before we had digital data storage." He half turned to her, as they walked. Something that had bothered him for some time now. "You...pushed them together, assigning them the royal marriage suite."

She sighed. "Yes. Yes I did." They reached her quarters, and she entered the combination to open the door. "I…" She hesitated. "I wanted them to have their happiness, together, as much as they can, while they can. As long as the Earth exists." She went in and closed the door, leaving a very contemplative General Guren outside.

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6: Old Friends

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 6: Old "Friends"

Back in his and Maru's quarters: Yu entered as softly as he could, but it availed him naught. "Yu? You're back already?" Even if he hadn't already been awake, Maru's supernatural sense of hearing could have heard a hair fall from someone's head.

He went into the bedroom. A sleepy looking Asuramaru looked up at him from the bed. He was sitting up, sheets pulled under his arms, sipping from a bulb of blood. "Did it go well?"

He came and sat on the bed by him. "Yeah, actually it went great. I...showed them my proof, and now they're convinced. It put their minds at ease. Uhm, Maru? Are you sure you don't want me to show you? I mean, it isn't really anything all that fantastic, and-*

He got no farther. Maru put a finger to his lips, sealing them shut. "No, Yu. I don't want to see," he said solidly. "And your promise still holds. So don't ever show me, 'kay?"

"Well, just so's you know, it may come up, but, but not, y'know, not as me trying to _show_ you or anything…"

"That's alright. But not as proof, okay?"

"You gotta deal." He looked at the clock. "It's nearly morning. Krul wants us to gather and plan our next move. Wanna shower off first?"

Maru hugged him from behind, a lecherous smile Yu could hear, even though he couldn't see it. "Something's wrong with _together_?"

….

The Rose Throne: "Well, Captain, it's good to have you on board. I...am glad you were able to put our doubts to rest. And...I apologize for our suspicion. But we had to be sure."

Yu shook his head. "No apologies are necessary, You Majesty. In your shoes, I would have done the same thing. In fact, to be totally honest, I probably wouldn't have been as polite about it."

"Thank you. Now, to business." Krul, Guren, Mika, Asuramaru, and Yu were all sitting around a smarttable. She touched a key and used the table to show the dome and the areas around it. "It's grown a bit more, since we spoke last. But the good news is, the rate of growth seems to be rather slow. That may give us time to find alternate measures."

"My Lady, what alternate measures could there be? I mean, we've tried everything," said Mika.

"Perhaps not everything. We've received reports of a...discovery. One made before the black dome appeared. And...we have our sources. From the Eastern Empire, no less." She pushed a button on her console, and a door they hadn't noticed opened, and in walked Eustace Crowley.

…

Yu found himself on his feet, his weapon half drawn. "Stand _down,_ soldier!" Guren's voice held the snap of command. Even used to obeying Guren as he was, Yu still kept his hand on his spatial displacement sword, ready in an instant to spill Vampire blood…

Krul spoke up. "Yes, stand down, Captain. I know you two have a bit of a history, but Crowley came to us, and has proven himself, both as a source of information, and as a warrior."

"Uh huh," sneered Yu, "I'll just _bet_ he has."

Asuramaru put a hand on his sleeve. "Yu? He's sincere...at least as far as I can tell."

Grudgingly, Yu sheathed his sword and sat back down. He _did_ have a history with Crowley, one he'd already decided would end in the death of one of them. And Yu was determined that it wasn't going to be _him._

Crowley came and stood by the table, taking in what he saw. His eyes lingered a moment on Yu and Maru. Then he pulled out a seat across the table from them, and sat, turning his attention to the Rose Queen, completely ignoring Yu's glare. "Yes, My Queen?"

"Tell the rest of us what you learned during your time in the Empire."

Crowley put his hands flat on the table. "It may be nothing, Your Majesty, but then again, it may.

"I was on a routine patrol in the Deadlands." Here he turned to look Yu in the face. "To be honest, we were looking for tactical information on the Western State, with an invasion in mind. If that comes as a surprise to anyone here, well, pull your heads out of the sand.

"We didn't find that, but we did find...this." He touched a control on the table, and the top of the table de-rezzed, showing static, then resolving into an overhead image of a laboratory. Eastern Empire scientists were arranged around a large, black box. "A box, to be precise, though not like any box—or, for that matter, any other artifact, period—we've ever found. We've been unable to open it, assuming it can be opened at all. But sensors hooked up to it, or even in the general vicinity, not actually connected at all, fail so catastrophically as to be hazardous to life and limb, no matter what the sensitivity setting." Now the table showed an animated file of some Eastern scientists bringing two power leads to the box. They'd barely gotten within two meters when the leads began to sizzle, and an almighty flash of white light wiped out the entire image. The image went black. "Whatever's inside blows everything we know about energy and power generation completely out of the water.

"The box is safe enough to touch, mind you. Just don't try to find out what's inside."

"Hm," said Yuichiro. Asuramaru looked at him, alarm on his elfin features. Something was going on inside Yu's head. _(Don't you dare start getting any of your usual Yupocalypse ideas, lover. I need_ _you_ _, not your ashes.)_

"We call it the Omega box, because of the symbol on what we're calling the 'lid'." He touched a button on console by his chair. The table immediately swam, this time resolving into a static picture, perhaps a screen capture from overhead cameras, showing a black box with rounded corners. It was about two meters square on all sides, and the surface turned to the top displayed a yellowish-gold image of a rounded horseshoe with two "feet" pointed in opposing directions. There were regular patterns of indentations on the sides: five on each one. It looked, oddly enough, like a gigantic black dice. But the "top," if top it was, had no indentations at all. "Whether or not this symbol is what it appears to be, or something that simply resembles the ancient Greek symbol, that no one can answer.

"But we do know the dome, or top of the sphere, however you prefer to think of it, appeared at approximately the same time as this artifact's removal from the Deadlands."

"So...your conclusions? Hypotheses?"

"Only that the box _may_ have something to do with the formation of the black dome. Of course, though correlation by no means equals causation, it _was_ found, and removed, at the time of the formation of the dome. In terms of power generation, it certainly seems the closest thing we've come across to something that could produce the power levels required. But even then, that would be...straining the envelope, I believe the expression is."

Yuichiro leaned forward, addressing the Queen. "Your Majesty, I—*" he began.

But just at that exact moment, a low rumble seemed to fill the air, and hanging tapestries rippled as though at the touch of God's sleeping breath. They all looked around. Yu thought he could pretty much guess what everybody was thinking, even without Maru's mental abilities: _earthquake?_ But suddenly, a corpsman rushed through the door Crowley had just come out of. "Your Majesty!" he huffed, out of breath, "It's growing! It's growing _fast!"_

Out they rushed, heedless of stature or rank. Krul and Maru were a bit faster, and so made it to the observation room before the others. When Yu and the others entered, the first thing he checked on was his love's expression.

It didn't look good.

Some closer range cams had been placed; about half those were currently offline. But those that weren't showed the black border around the dome to be expanding visibly, with a rumbling sound that could be felt all the way to Sanctuary Prime, even without the sound pickups. The dome itself was also expanding, taking up more and more of the sky beyond. Krul opened her mouth to say something….

...And the dome and black border abruptly ceased their expansion, the rumbling dying down, the black border once again becoming static at the outer limits of the dome.

After the rest of them had had a chance to quash their pounding nerves, Krul opened her mouth once again. "Perhaps," she said, "I was overly optimistic about our having a century."

…..

"How far this time?"

"My Queen, as near as we can figure it, it appears to have expanded nearly seven full kilometers in radius from the epicenter, and in the space of five minutes. That is...unprecedented."

"Indeed it is. Have you determined any reasons why? Suggestions? Even any wild guesses? At this point, I'd take anything up to and possibly including tarot readings."

"My Queen, the only thing that I can come up with—that any of us can come up with—is," but here he was interrupted by another scientist, who, completely ignoring protocol, immediately ran up to the elder scientist and whispered something in his ear. The senior scientist straightened up slightly, and turned a raised eyebrow to his junior. "Oh? Well….that….certainly bears investigation."

He turned back to the figure on the Rose Throne, with the junior technician just then realizing where he was and what he'd probably been interrupting. Krul smiled slightly upon seeing that; a little healthy fear was no bad thing, but she didn't want her subjects to be terrified of her. "Well? I take it you've something of some note to tell me."

The senior scientist cleared his throat in what sounded like a nervous habit. "Yes, as you say, this matter is unprecedented. Your Majesty, we have determined another, equally...unprecedented incident to go along with this. But whether or not it correlates, that I don't know.

"You see, by all reports, we seem to have found evidence of a crashed and seriously wounded high angel."

….

"There." The chief scientist's voice sounded hushed. At this moment, the outer cams were showing the oblong body of the injured angel. It roughly resembled what Yu had encountered in Asuramaru's realm: giant body that twisted the mind to look at it, with two sets of wings set amidships. From this angle, the head could not be discerned.

The others in the group had joined them in the observatory. Now, Crowley turned to Krul. "Your Majesty, we must act on this...whatever it is...before my former comrades do. I, for one, would like to know by what method it came by those wounds."

"As would I," she said. "Very well. I'll appoint a team to go fetch the creature and bring it back-*"

"Your Majesty, I do not mean to overstep my bounds here, but the most capable people to investigate this matter are already assembled right in this room."

A raised eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes. I would select Captain Yuichiro, Captain Mikaela, Prince Asuramaru, and," and here he nodded at the chief scientist, "whomever your most worthy scientist here would recommend. And myself. Though we made need a contingency of warriors to fight off the Eastern Empire troops, whom I am sure are already on their way.

"And…" and here he looked back at the screenshot of the creature, "it may well be we don't have long before the creature...expires. Moving it could be dangerous, too, as much to the people you send as the creature itself. Examining it on the spot would be most likely to yield the best results."

"Hm." Krul contemplated each of her comrades. "I see the logic in your suggestions." Asuramaru gripped Yu's arm tightly, and he gripped his back. They'd learned a bit about touch and tactile telepathy. _Be patient, Maru. This is just what it means to be involved with someone in the Service._

 _Then you better come back for me to_ _be_ _involved with, lover. I want our kids to know both their dads._ Before he could process this statement, Krul continued. "Yes, logical indeed. Everyone here has had some experience with the unknown and perhaps unknowable." Maru wondered what she meant by that. "However, General Guren, you will accompany them. I want you to guard against any...mishaps." And Guren saw what was in his Queen's mind: _and if Crowley betrays us, I want him spread in a thin red film all over that entire area._

He bowed, hand on his chest. "My Queen. It shall be as you wish."

…

The airship: Yu hadn't been too keen on taking Maru out to meet a genuine fallen high angel. From what he'd said about them, it wasn't good news to even see one, let alone get within close range of one. Nobody knew what powers they possessed...but, whatever they had, it apparently hadn't been enough to save this one.

The black dome hove into sight. Crowley had been, to Yu's obvious and great discomfort, awarded a seat next to him.

Neither of them said a word for several long minutes. Then, Crowley spoke up, as though feeling the need for conversation. "So. If I am given to understand correctly, I believe congratulations are in order, to the both of you."

"Shuttup, vampire."

"You're welcome. And I can see that you're just _bursting_ with the obvious question."

Yu sighed. He guessed he'd get nowhere denying it. Besides, he _was_ curious. "Okay. Why? Why did you turn traitor to your own people, your own kind? I would've thought the Empire, a sanguinocracy, would be perfect for the likes of you."

Crowley shifted in his seat slightly, just enough to be able to look better at Yu. "In would seem you've a great deal to learn about 'the likes of me,' and, I presume, 'my kind' in general." He looked Yu straight in the eye. Yu did not flinch that that unwavering gaze. "Let's get one thing straight: whether you like it or not, humans _are_ livestock to me. Calling you anything else is simply semantics. Humans produce a substance necessary to our survival, and there is nothing either of us can do to change that. It is a simple fact of life. One which you unthinkingly follow yourself: after all, were you to find a way to communicate with, say, chickens, or sheep, would that make any significant difference in your predator-prey relationship? You'd still have to eat.

"But," he said, turning back in his seat, "that I accept an obvious fact of life does not mean I can morally condone the practice of _tormenting_ lower life forms, simply because one _can,_ simply for the sake of, of _amusement_. It is…" another shift, as though something had made him uncomfortable, "It is simply...wasteful, that's all. A waste."

Yu stole a glance at Maru, who shook his head ever so slightly. _He's not telling you the whole truth._

 _And the best lies involve some measure of truth._

The black dome filled a good portion of the sky when the jetcopter and its attendant armed escort circled in for a landing. The downed angel, or whatever it was, was little more than two kilometers away from the border of black matter. Yu wondered: had the angel actually been _trying_ to reach the dome? But why?

The pilot put them down seventy yards from the creature. A spontaneous hush fell over the entire group, as each of them, in his own way, took in the scene: the mighty dome, impervious to all that men and vampires could do, and the strange, fallen creature that made all their minds twist a bit just to look at it. Somehow it just didn't look _real._ Or perhaps... _more_ than real… "Prince Hyakuya?" said Crowley, in a quiet tone of voice, almost a whisper.

"Huh?" Yu's attention was momentarily drawn away from the scene outside.

"Hold this." And he shoved his sword into a surprised Yu's lap….

...and, with a speed human eyes could barely follow, he _exploded_ out of the jetcopter, hitting the ground running full-tilt for the fallen angel.

 _To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7: Answers And Questions

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 7: Answers. And Questions.

…

 _Don't own, you know. Onward._

… _._

Chapter 7: Answers. And Questions.

The vampire known as Eustace Crowley was doing seventy miles per hour as he sprinted up to the angel, stopping only a microsecond to take in the awful wounds about its shoulders and sides. The creature was on the verge of death, if that condition existed for its kind; wounds or no, he had to act _now._

He slammed his hands down on the great head, and focused every last erg of his mind and will into one single command: _Show me!_

 _Show me, damn you!_

He didn't even feel his world exploding into light.

He came to looking up at the ceiling of the jetcopter. "*- _hell_ did that idiot think he was doing, anyway?" Yu's voice was loud enough to echo.

"He's awake, Yu," said Asuramaru's calm voice, over to one side. He found he couldn't turn his head to see any of them except Yu's contorted face, above his own. "He can hear every word you say."

"Oh." Yu's angry gaze turned to him. "Why'n _the hell_ did you go'n do something _that_ stupid, _idiot_?"

Crowley tried to speak: _Why, Prince, I didn't know you cared._ He couldn't. He could move his mouth, but he couldn't seem to draw a breath _to_ speak. He tried to fill his lungs, just out of reflex—vampires don't _have_ to breathe, but old habits die hard—and found he couldn't. Then he realized why.

He was only a head. A head, lying in Yuichiro's lap. "If we can get enough of him together," Asuramaru was saying, "we can put him back together. I think he'll regenerate, though I confess, I've never seen any vampire undergo such... _complete_ destruction and come back."

"I wonder if we ought to bother," sizzled Captain Hyakuya's voice.

"We have to, Yu," said Prince Asuramaru's calm voice. "We have to find out why he did what he did.

"We have to find out what he knows."

…

Under his direction, Guren's team managed to scrape together as much as they could of Crowley's exploded body off the surrounding rocks to stuff into burlap sacks. Out of the corner of his eye—evidently, they'd left his head in the copter with the Prince and his husband—he could see them returning to the aft holds of the ship. His own supernaturally sharp hearing—unaffected by his decapitated state—could pick up some snippets of conversation: "...thing's gone now, it just disintegrated,"... "...probably couldn't have moved it anyway, too big…" … "...wish we'd have gotten a cell sample...that is, assumin' it _had_ cells…"

…..

It took Crowley a long time to get to the point where he was even able to converse coherently. They had put him in a private hospital room (with, although he didn't know it and couldn't have cared less if he had, a double guard outside) and on a continuous blood, plasma, and saline drip. The influx of tissue and nutrients aided in his regeneration.

He had to tell them. They had to know. _Somebody_ had to know.

Then, Krul Tepes, flanked by Mika and Guren, came into his room. He was still nowhere near having a proper body, but his lungs and the muscles that worked them were attached loosely to his torso, as was his head, so he could draw breath enough to speak. "Alright," said Krul, "I think explanations are in order." To her side, General Guren fingered his sword. He was fully prepared to finish what the high angel had started.

Crowley drew in some experimental breaths. He had to tell them. He coughed, his respiratory system still not fully repaired. Then, he said, in barely more than a wheezing whisper, _"They won't stop. Th-they can't stop."_

"What?" said Krul. This wasn't what she was expecting.

" _It's growing. They won't stop."_

She leaned forward. Even her hearing was having a hard time picking up his words. " _What's_ growing? The dome? _Who_ won't stop?"

" _They…"_ a spasm of coughing so violent, Krul was afraid it would tear him apart. _"They...may be...our only hope."_

More breaths, more coughs. Then, _"D-Dama Kan. The-" (_ cough _) Destroyer God. He's coming."_

" _Only hope...in the dome…"_

….

Crowley had been taken to the medical center at Sanctuary Prime. Krul still hadn't decided if he had betrayed them, or simply acted impulsively. But whatever the case, he had definitely disobeyed orders. She needed to know why.

The patrol had, of course, immediately returned to base. There was no longer any high angel to investigate, and they were too close to the dome, and its black border. Yu hadn't complained; something about being that close to the thing made him itch.

And something else was making him itch, too. Something he kept to himself.

For now.

"Why do you think he did it?" asked Yu. Maru and Yu had retired for the night, and were currently in bed.

"Truth?" Maru thought. He'd had the opportunity to scan, to what degree he could, Eustace Crowley's mind. However, his empathic powers did not mean he could read minds, not in the traditional sense. Rather, he could detect thoughts that were on the "surface," thoughts associated with strong emotions, and the stronger, more clear the emotions, the better he was able to "read" them.

And nobody doubted but that Crowley had been driven by some pretty powerful emotions. He had to have known that physical contact with a high angel could not possibly result in any mild outcome, any more than sticking one's tongue into a live electrical socket could prove beneficial. So why had he done it? "I don't know. From what I was able to scan of his mind, he was looking for something. Not something physical, like a dropped ring or something. Something like answers, only, somehow...more than _just_ answers." He shrugged, his slim shoulders lifting above the covers. "But more than that, I couldn't say. I really didn't think to scan him before he did what he did, and afterwards, there was too much wild energy flying around to get anything like an accurate reading. But what he said, about some destroyer god...Yu, he believed that. That information was right there on the top of his mind. He was quite serious."

"A destroyer god," mused Yu, lying on his back, hands behind his head. "Sure he wasn't babbling?"

"He could have been." Maru was lying on his side, his finger tracing a pattern on Yu's chest. "Like I said, too much wild energy. Plus Crowley was in no shape to really think coherent thoughts. And _certainly_ no shape to come up with a lie. He _still_ isn't."

"I'd like to know why he did that. And what he meant by 'they are our only hope, in the dome.'"

"He was motivated, as far as I could tell, by a need _beyond_ powerful. He wanted something badly enough that he'd risk complete destruction to obtain it. You know," He propped his head up on his elbow, looking at Yu, "people think of vampires as being immortal. But that's not true; you've seen for yourself, we can die. And anything that _can_ die, is mortal by definition. And for us, the end of life...it means...quite a lot. A human who risks his life knows he won't live but a few years, anyway. But a vampire? I'm over a thousand years old, Yu. And I'm not the oldest. For us, giving up life, literally means giving up eternity, everything.

"Crowley was ready to do just that, if he could just get answers.

"Or _an_ answer."

Yu shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I can't fault him his courage, then. Or determination." He frowned. "I still think his head looked a lot better when it wasn't attached to his body."

Maru put his hand on his lover's chest, moving downward. "Well, all that can wait until we know more. But he was right about one thing: we barely made it out of there before the Easterners came." Several gunships had appeared, over the horizon, and the Westerners had retreated. There was no longer anything to recover, anyway. The angel—whatever form of life it may have been—had completely disintegrated upon Crowley's touch, just like Crowley himself had nearly done. There weren't even any ashes left.

But Guren's people had taken extensive photos and measurements of the creature. The wounds on its back…whatever had made them, Yu still didn't like to think about it.

"Yu? I could use some blood tonight. Would you mind?"

He turned to him, his own musings cut off. "Sure, Maru." He got up. "You get out the bandages, and I'll go turn the shower on." Maru preferred getting his blood the old fashioned way, by biting into someone's neck and drinking their blood. And, ever since his marriage to Yu, that had been his primary means of getting blood. And that "someone" was Yu.

But, given such preference, the only way to go about doing it without making a hideous mess was for them both to undress and lie down in the bathtub, with the shower running. There, Maru would bite Yu, and, once he was done, clean them both off, since the contact narcotic in vampire saliva always rendered Yu unconscious. The excess blood, of course, would be washed down the drain. Needless to say, it saved a lot on cleaning bills.

Maru had been concerned about Yu and Yu's feelings on the matter, but Yu had reassured him. "But you're sure? I mean, if it's a problem, I can always go get blood from the blood bank." As was the standard in all Western State cities, vampires had established a mutually beneficial economy, buying and selling blood. Buying from the humans, and selling to the vampires.

"No, Maru," he'd said firmly. "This is part of what it's like, being married to you. And it's not, like, it's some hideous task that I just have to put up with. I knew this going in, and it's part of the whole thing." He'd taken his little demon in his arms. "It's...well, it's a labor of love. I do it because I love you. And," and here, his face took on an odd look, "to be honest, I prefer it this way. I'd really rather you got blood from me. I mean, you having to go get blood from a total stranger...it's almost like, if you wanted sex, you having to go to a prostitute to get it."

"Oh!" Maru had exclaimed, putting his fingers over his mouth. "I, I never thought about it like that! But you're absolutely right! Oh, Yu!" And he'd flung his arms around his lover. _What did I ever do to get this lucky? Not only married to a man who loves me, but who understands and freely and willingly gives me his delicious blood, simply_ _because_ _he loves me?_ No other human male on the planet would have done what Yuichiro routinely did, of that he was sure. _How did I ever get this lucky?_

Later, they were in the bathroom, lying down in the bathtub with the water running warm around their feet. Both of them were naked, and Maru had made sure he had plenty of the double-stitch, self-adhering 2X bandages, bandages specifically designed for those vampires, who, like Maru, preferred getting their blood direct from the source. The 2X's were larger, actually double coverage bandages, as they had to cover two holes rather than the one produced by the syringes most used. "Yu, I have to ask," said Maru, lying atop Yu, the feel of his lover's naked body turning him on, as it always did. "Does this...hurt?"

Yu shook his head. Maru had asked that about a hundred times, both during the course of their marriage, and before, but Yu could see why he would. Were their roles reversed... "I can never remember." A vampire's saliva was not only an anticoagulant, but also a powerful—and completely safe—anesthetic. One bite put the human all the way under, like a deep surgical procedure. This was an evolutionary development that enabled the human to survive the attack, since food that thrashes around is more likely to harm itself, and waste a great deal of the blood. "It may sting a bit, I don't know. But I can never remember." If the vampire was careful enough—and Maru was—there wasn't nearly the damage as when the vampire violently attacked a human. It was the difference between tender sex and violent rape. The latter had been the case with Yoichi's sister, and Yoichi had never recovered from the sight of it. Yu wondered how Yoichi had ever dealt with that, or even if he had. He hadn't had the time, over in the black dome, to inquire, and anyway, he'd had other concerns.

Privately, Maru was concerned that Yu would build up a tolerance to the narcotic, for his once-a-month needed "blood transfusion." If so, he'd go to the bottled stuff, rather than hurt Yu.

But this had become a special time to them both. They'd found that something about it made it easier for them to just talk, more freely and intimately, about the day's events, and their feelings about things that otherwise they might not. Maru, especially, treasured these times, right before the bite, and tended to stretch them out simply for the increased intimacy. Sometimes they made love before the act, as afterward, even once he woke up, Yu's reduced blood pressure usually meant he wasn't able to get it up. The male erection was dependent, among other things, on blood pressure.

So, basically, their little ritual resulted in nothing more harmful or violent than Yu getting a good night's dreamless sleep. It had actually come in handy on those nights when he'd been too wound up to sleep naturally.

But right now, Maru was stretched out, lying atop Yu, both of them luxuriating in the feel of each other's naked body. "So. Learn anything today? I haven't had the opportunity to check with Krul, to see if Crowley has reconstituted enough to answer any questions. I expect when he is, they'll call on me."

Yu shook his head. "Nothing. Though for some reason, I've a strong hunch it involved what he had to say in the copter, about the Easterners torturing humans. He wasn't faking that, was he?"

"No…but he also wasn't telling the whole story. Like I said, the best lies contain some measure of the truth."

"Does he really have a problem with torturing humans?"

Maru frowned, his head propped up on his elbow, over Yu's face. "Yes and no. I get the impression he _tolerated_ it—to please his superiors—but whether or not he actually _enjoyed_ it—*" Here he shook his head—"Were I have to guess, I would say, not really. But I don't think he hated it, either, like he'd have us believe.

"But, Yu? From what I was able to gather, it seems like there was a certain point in his life where it _did_ become intolerable. Maybe...maybe he just had a gutful of it by then. Or maybe—and this is more likely—he'd had a gutful of those over him, for whatever reason, and focused his feelings on their...entertainment. Vampires have been known to rebel against higher progenitors, though it isn't very common, and they usually need a strong reason to do so. I couldn't really tell without a deep scan. Or entering his dreams, and I'm not sure I could do that, unbonded."

"Well," said Yu, his hands moving over Maru's body, "I guess we'll just have to wait until he's reconstituted." Maru did have the cutest little butt, so soft and pleasingly round... "Say, could you determine anything about that angel? I know you said there was a bunch of energy being thrown about, but…"

But Maru just shook his head. "I couldn't sense anything. Well, that's not totally true. I could sense pain, both physical and emotional, but what led to the emotional aspect, I don't know. The physical part is, I guess, sorta self-explanatory."

"Yeah. I'd love to know how it got those wounds. From what you've said—from what everybody's said—high angels are the closest things to gods anyone's ever come across."

"Hmmm," mused Maru, "And Crowley did say something about a 'destroyer god.' _Dama Kan,_ he called it."

"Yes, and he said something about 'they won't stop.' But also that the dome is...our only hope? That's not very reassuring."

"He could have been delirious, Yu. In fact, he probably was. It would take a lot, but vampires aren't immune to such, especially after such a huge shock as he got. Frankly, I wonder he was still alive at all. I mean, I've never heard of a vampire coming back from being, from being _exploded_ , like that."

"It was like a bomb went off inside him, wasn't it?" Yu chuckled. "I'm just glad I was there to witness it."

"Lover," Maru ran a finger over Yu's chest, resting his head on his propped-up elbow, "You really ought to let the old hatreds go. I mean, yeah, if Crowley turns double traitor, he needs to die by the slowest means possible, but so far, everything I've sensed about him checks out, mostly." At Yu's expression, he hurriedly added, "It's just, I've seen how old hatreds, old desires for revenge, can warp a person. I should know; I warped quite a few lives back in my bad old days, before I met you. I don't want to see that happen to you." He laid his head on Yu's shoulder, his body touching Yu's at every point. "I'm not saying, let bygones be bygones, 'cause I know they never will. Nor am I saying let your guard down around him—I certainly won't. But you and I both know there's a lot of pain in your past. I'd hate to see that change you." He looked at Yu, full in the face, their lips only centimeters apart. "I don't wanna lose you, lover."

Something inside Yu melted. Maru could always do this to him. "Okay. I'll try. But considering what I've seen him do, to my friends, my family, Maru, it's not gonna be easy."

Maru kissed him, and moved against him in a very sensual way, arousing them both. "That's all I can ask, Yu." He paused, both in movements and talk. "I know I didn't help matters much, years ago, when you were fighting him, and called upon my power. I amplified your desire for revenge to the max, to the point where you practically became a demon yourself. Such a thing has to leave its mark."

"Now, don't go blaming yourself. You were doing exactly what I wanted you to do: providing me with your power in exchange for my desires. It was my choice to _want_ to kill him so badly that I let myself go like that. Any fault in the matter was mine and mine alone."

Another kiss. "Now don't _you_ go blaming _your_ self." Kiss. More incredibly sensual movements against him. Their sexual organs were together, rubbing against each other. Each of them enjoyed feeling the other's arousal. "Sure you don't wanna do it, before you go under?"

He shook his head. "Much as I'd love to, morning will be here before we know it. And I've gotta report in to Guren, to see what he's got in store for Mika and me. And you." Though not in the military, Asuramaru held a rank of his own, in military and civilian intelligence, due to his empathic abilities. Technically, he was co-equal with Guren, just under Krul herself, but in practice, he took—or perhaps _accepted_ , would be a better word—orders, assignments, from Krul's general.

"Yu? Can I tell you something?"

"Huh? Of course."

Maru laid his head down on Yu's chest. "Sometimes I get...afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"Perhaps _afraid_ isn't the right word. I...begin to think what might have happened, had you not brought me over from the astral plane. I know it was an accident, and I bitched about it forever, it seemed like...but Yu, it was almost like you _rescued_ me from some dungeon, somewhere. Like in one of those old fairy tales. Had you not done so, I'd still be there, still angry, still hating, still thinking of humans as the scum of the Earth...still all alone.

"But by sheer accident, you brought me over and...changed me just by _loving_ me.

"Sometimes...sometimes I get afraid of what would have happened if you hadn't done that. I mean, it was...so close. An accident, really. But an accident I'm glad happened, now.

"You know, I think I always was in love with you, at least a little."

"Huh?" This was unexpected.

"Yeah." He rested his chin on Yu's chest. "When we first bonded, you promised to be my friend. And yeah, I could tell you didn't mean it, but...part of me wanted to believe it. I could tell you meant it about not wanting to hurt me, and I could tell you meant it about you wanting me to help you save Mika. And that, that emotion you had, wanting, needing, willing to do anything for your friend...I wanted that. I just didn't know how to go about getting it. That was one reason I bonded with you.

"So, yeah, a part of me wanted to believe you when you said you'd love me. I'd never really known love before, Yu, not the love of a friend. I wondered what it was like. I...I wanted to experience that, even though demons are supposed to despise positive emotions, I wanted to have that, anyway. And...you offered it. So I wanted to believe you.

"That was why I was so hurt when you left. I felt abandoned, betrayed by the one person who'd ever offered me _friendship_.

"And then you came back.

"So, yeah...in a real sense, you...it was like you _rescued_ me from the high tower of the astral plane, and brought me into your world. Yeah, I hated it at first—you remember all our fights, how I was such a bitch. But...if it hadn't been for you...if you'd done what I ordered you to do, there when you contacted me that second time, there, in my realm, if you'd shrugged your shoulders and said, 'oh, well,' ...I don't know what I would have done.

"That was why it was unbearable to me when I thought I'd lost you.

"Sometimes, sometimes... I dream about what...what it would have been like, had, had things gone differently. They aren't pleasant dreams, Yu. In a way, they're worse than nightmares. I can actually _see_ me, that version of me, in love with you, and so, so _desperate_ for _your_ love, but unable to express the need.

"In one of those dreams, that version of me thought he'd killed you, and went out into a snowstorm to die."

Yu held Maru close. "Oh, Maru. Don't talk like that. I don't even want to have that mental picture.

"You wanna know something? That time when we were separated...I had this enormous, godforsaken _emptiness_ in me, in, in my soul, that was worse than any pain I'd ever felt. I didn't know what it was—I thought it was all sorts of things, I blamed it on the war, on the vampires, on this, on that—but what it was, all along, was _me being away from you._ That time in my life, after you came over...even with all that happened, that was the beginning of the best time in my life, leading right up to now. Just...being with you again, even with all the fights and fusses. I guess I didn't realize it then, but _I_ was in love with _you_ even then.

"I'm glad I found you, Maru. I'm glad I found you. And I'll never let you go, no matter what."

 _I found you just in time, Maru._

 _And I'll never let you go._

Maru snuggled deeper, smiling. "Likewise, lover. Now. As you say, morning'll be here before we know it. Sure you don't wanna quickie?"

Yu hesitated. He _did_ "wanna quickie,"but the narcotic would keep him out for at least an hour… "Better not," he sighed in resignation. "Next time. Or, better still, tomorrow night. But not a 'quickie.' A 'longie.'"

"'Longie'? Is that even a word?"

Yu kissed him. "It is now. Now, I guess we'd best get going." And he bared his neck. "Morning isn't that far away."

"Yeah. I guess we had better get on with it. Okay, lover. Here we go." He positioned himself over Yu's throat. "Big stick."

But, at the exact moment, just before he went under, something flashed through Yu's mind: _Wait. What was that, back there, about kids and dads?_

Afterwards, Maru was holding Yu upright, in a sitting position, both of them covered in blood. He'd already applied the bandages, but was just holding his unconscious lover in a passionate embrace, shivering with post-blood feast ecstasy. "Ohh, Yu, I _wish_ you could know how _good_ you are!" He shivered some more. "Ohhh, Yu…OH!" His eyes widened as he felt himself climax, sexually, up against Yu, his seed squirting between their pressed-together bodies. Their closeness and the aftermath of Maru's feast was always an incredible turn-on to him, but this was not usually the result. He smiled, rocking the unconscious Yu back and forth, a hand behind his head, kissing him fervently. "A little extra, huh, darling? I'll owe you double, then."

He picked Yu up, hardly exerting his vampire strength, and washed them both off in the running shower water. Then, he took him out of the shower, dried them both off, and carried Yu, bridal style ( _well, of course,_ he thought _)_ , into the bedroom. Placed him in bed and got in beside him, positioning his head so he could breathe. Then he thought: why not? He turned Yu over on his side, and nestled in behind him, sort of like that version of him had in his dream, where he'd killed Yu, and went out into the snows to die. He shivered when he thought about that dream, that horrible dream; he truly pitied that Asuramaru, who would never know this or any love. But he comforted himself: it was only a dream; it hadn't actually happened.

Thank the gods.

He felt so much better now. The influx of blood—especially Yu's blood—always both invigorated him and relaxed him to such an enormous degree.

He spooned in behind Yu, his arms around him, his head just behind Yu's ear. "Get some sleep, love. As you say, morning'll be here before we know it." And he laid his head down, against the pillow, but as close to Yu as he could be. To think: one time he'd felt the need to sneak this. He now knew that Yu would have given it to him—that and more—even back before they realized their true feelings for each other.

He still couldn't believe the change in him, in them both. So this was _love?_ Gods above, below, and sideways, had _he_ ever been after the wrong thing, all these years!

Somewhere in the back of his skull, the thought crossed his mind that maybe...just maybe there was some sort of, of "spring" or, or _pendulum_ effect. That all those thousand years of hating, always hating, always angry, always greedy for emotions or blood or both, feasting on negative emotions...maybe now all that was reversed, somehow, and he was experiencing some sort of, of...backlash, maybe? After all, there were metaphysical laws to the universe, as well as physical ones. Could this be some sort of reversal of the effect? A flood of _positive_ emotions?

He laid his head down, and began to still his mind, preparing for sleep. The narcotic in his saliva should keep Yu out for at least an hour; after that, he'd sleep normally. Krul's metaphysicians had assured him that humans didn't develop a tolerance for the narcotic, but Maru was still uneasy. He didn't want this closeness, this intimacy, to end. It was the best thing he'd ever known, aside from actual sex with his lover. In some ways, it was even better. And when they combined the two…

Well. As Yu said, time for some sleep. On the verge of sleep, Asuramaru opened his mind a bit, sensing the thoughts and feelings of those around him, those outside the apartment. It was like white noise to him; restful and soothing.

But suddenly, his eyes opened wide at a stray thought he'd picked up. All of a sudden, sleep was forgotten.

 _Somebody_ , in the palace, was thinking about _assassinating the queen._


	8. Chapter 8: Plots and Preparations

Owari No Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 8: Plots and Preparations

…

 _Don't own…_

… _.._

Chapter 8: Plots and Preparations

…..

"Krul? Sister, we need to talk."

Krul's voice came tinnily over the comm. " _Ohhh, can't it wait, Ashura? I'm right in the midst of a hundred different reports. Apparently, that angel has stirred up a hornet's nest in the Eastern Empire. They're practically declaring war on us, again, for what seems like the third time this week…"_

"No, Krul, it can't wait. I'm on my way to your throne room now. No, it can't wait. I think you'll see why when I tell you."

….

The throne room: " _Assassination?_ Are you sure, brother?" She burped, slightly. Asuramaru stared; his sister _never_ burped. At least not around anybody, even him. She was the very heart and soul of regal manners.

"I'm sure." Maru hadn't even bothered to take his usual seat, but simply stood, hands on his hips, in front of the Rose Queen. "Someone, somewhere in this palace, is plotting to kill you."

Krul sat back, swishing her bulb of blood in her hand. Idly, Asuramaru reflected that, lately, he'd never seen his sister without a bulb nearby. Vampires don't need anywhere near _that_ much blood, he thought. Though, in light of the stress she must be under, perhaps it was understandable… "And before you ask, yes, I'm _extremely_ sure. Sure enough that I left Yu's side to come report to you."

Krul smiled a bit, still stunned by Asuramaru's news. She knew not everybody in the Western State loved her, and not everyone agreed with her policies, but this?

Killing her?

Seriously?

"If you left your beloved's side, then I'm sure you must be...must be extremely, mm, extremely concerned." Did her eyes just cross? "Very well, I'll take, take appropriate measures." Asuramaru thought she was looking a little odd. Her speech patterns seemed distracted, and just a little slurred. And her eyes looked a little strange, as though a trifle out of focus.

He stepped a little closer, focusing his keen vampire sense of smell. He moved just a little closer, to where he could smell his sister's breath… "Sister? Have...have you been _drinking_?"

"A'course I've been drinking. I'm a vampire; that's what we _do."_

Now, Asuramaru stepped a little closer, and Krul leaned back as much as the throne and her posture would allow her to. She looked distinctly uncomfortable. He picked up one of the bulbs she had on the table beside the Rose Throne and sniffed it. "Sister! This blood is spiked!" In the Western State, there was a market for the blood of humans who'd "tied one on," as the human saying went. Depending on the blood alcohol content rating, humans who drank were reimbursed appropriately, as the blood they produced served to give the vampire who drank it a buzz. "You've been drinking spiked blood!"

 _Busted,_ thought Krul. She'd thought she'd been careful enough, but Ashura just _had_ to come in on her at a time like this. "Well, so what if I have? It's no biggie; I can quit anytime I want. 'Sides, I'm the Queen. Occasionally, I need a little 'pick me up.'"

"Sister, how many little 'pick me ups' have you had tonight?"

"Er..."

Asuramaru went over to the garbage can by the throne. Inside were four bulbs, all empty. He picked one up. The label on one said ".5%." He picked another up. "1%" "Now, Krul, this is...this is not like you."

"I'm a big girl, Ashura, whether I look it or— _hic!_ —not. I know what I'm— _hic!_ —what I'm doing." She covered her mouth, embarrassed at the hiccups.

"Not now, you don't." He looked at the reports, scattered out on the desk. He hoped his sister hadn't issued any orders based on her current condition. "Come on, Krul." And he picked her up, bodily, lifting her off the throne, throwing her over his shoulder. "I'm putting you to bed."

"No, I tell you, stop. Lemme go." She pounded ineffectively on Asuramaru's back. "I'm the queen, fa' the gods' sake. You haveta obey me…"

"You can be queen tomorrow. Right now, you're my little sister, and you're drunk off your ass. You need to sleep." _I can't let anyone see her in this condition._ He pressed the button on the throne that went straight to Guren's personal communicator.

" _Yes, my Queen?"_

"General, this is Asuramaru. I need you to meet me at Krul's quarters. I'll be there in five minutes. Be waiting for me." _I only hope there's nobody in the hallways at this time of night._ His empathic powers would help him dodge people, but this was the palace, after all. There could simply be too many people to dodge.

" _Prince Asuramaru? Why are you using this line? Is something wrong with the Queen?"_ ("No, godsdammit," protested Krul, slung over Asuramaru's shoulder, "lemme go. Tha's an odor. I mean, an order.")

"Just meet me there. I'll explain everything then."

" _Very well, Prince. I'll be there. But the Queen is alright, isn't she?"_

Minutes later, Asuramaru carried a three-sheets-to-the-wind Rose Queen down the corridors to her quarters. As he approached, he could sense a worried General Guren standing outside of Krul's apartment. He started when he saw the Prince carrying his Queen along, over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes. "Prince Asuramaru! Whatever is going on?"

"The Queen has had a little bit too much to drink, and I don't mean blood. Now, I need you to open the door here." _("Lemme go!"_ demanded the Queen, her legs pumping vigorously and futilely _.)_

Guren stiffened. "You know I don't have the passcode for the royal chambers."

"On the contrary, I know you _do._ Aside from being a telepsyche, you and I were once bonded, remember? I know you well enough to know you've the passcodes for every suite, living quarters, apartment, laboratory, communication centers, dormitory, library, server rooms, records depository, sewage treatment plant, and broom closet in this entire palace. Now, are you going to stand here arguing with me, and risk someone coming along and seeing our Queen in this condition?" _("No, godsdammit! Lemme go! I'll have you fried! I mean, frayed! I mean, oh, I'll figure it out later!")_

Guren sighed, rolling his eyes. The Queen's brother just _had_ to be a telepsyche. But he was right; he _didn't_ want his Queen seen in this state.

He punched in a letter and number combination on the door panel. The door swished open, and Asuramaru carried a still-protesting Krul inside. Laid her gently down on the bed. Almost immediately, she began snoring.

Guren had followed them in, and now looked on in concern. "General, how long has this been going on?" He didn't bother asking whether or not Guren had even been aware of it. Guren was Guren; of course he'd known.

He sat down on the bed beside Krul, and checked her over, making sure she was alright. To his relief, she was. She was just sleeping. She'd just have to sleep it off.

"About seven months now. But it's never, never reached the stage that it has now."

Asuramaru looked up at him, anger smoldering in his eyes. "And you said nothing?"

Guren returned his look without flinching. "To whom would I have said what? At the time, you were...not in the picture, and there was no one else I trusted with this." Meaning Asuramaru and Yu had been at the other base…

...the one that seemed to have been deserted for centuries. "It was a matter of state security, of which I am the head."

"I see." Asuramaru turned back to his sleeping sister. _Now what?_

 _What do I do?_

 _Has my sister, the Queen of the entire Western State, developed a drinking problem? And if so, what does that say about the future of the Western State?_

 _Oh, how I hope I'm just being alarmist._

Guren cleared his throat. "I suppose you will tell your husband."

Asuramaru was still examining Krul. He ran his hand down her face, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her mouth. So long ago...as children, they had been inseparable. He'd practically worshipped her. Then...something had happened. He wasn't sure what; he couldn't remember. But their father had decided to turn Asuramaru, completely in defiance of the Code of the Progenitors, which held one should not be turned until they had reached their majority years. A child so turned remained a child for eternity. And then...for him, forced separation from his sister, whom he loved more than life itself, and, again at his father's bequest, entry into the demon realm…

"Yu and I have no secrets from each other. And if he cannot be trusted with this, then no one can."

"Perhaps no one can."

"Perhaps." He got up from where he had been sitting, beside a sleeping Rose Queen, and approached Guren. "General, I've something to tell you. I've already told my sister, but, as head of security, it's a matter you need to know, too." He glanced back at Krul's sleeping form. "I don't know if she'll remember what I told her when she wakes up. In any case, you definitely need to know, regardless." And he told him about what he'd sensed, earlier, when he was trying to go to sleep alongside Yu. All the while, he kept his empathic senses on high alert for any suspicious twitch of emotion from Guren. If he sensed anything amiss…if Guren had had anything to do with that stray thought he'd sensed...Guren would not leave this room alive. Or in one piece.

But Guren was as surprised and alarmed as Asuramaru himself. "Are you sure? Someone wants to kill the Queen? _Regicide?_ "

"I wouldn't have told you unless I was very sure." _And I'm glad you checked out, General. I need you on my side in this matter._

"This changes things, Prince. The Queen must have guards, absolutely trusted guards twenty-four seven. And," he thought furiously. "There must also be some mechanism in place to prevent poisoning." Contrary to popular belief, vampires could be poisoned. It required a very specialized and highly enchanted poison, but if one was really committed, and had access to the right resources, it could be done. And, historically, poison was an assassin's preferred _modus operandi_. "I'm sure the Queen's sorcerers can come up with detector spells…"

"I don't have to tell you to run a security check on those self-same sorcerers, nor that all this must be done surreptitiously, General. Should word get out that we are aware of the plot, it will make whoever is planning it all the more wary and difficult to apprehend. As it is, I doubt the assassin or assassins were counting on my ability to sense emotions and thoughts.

"And all these measures-within-measures will complicate and slow down the process of elimination even more."

"No doubt." Guren rubbed his chin. This was every security chief's nightmare: the knowledge of a plot to kill someone under their care, and no knowledge about who it could be or how it was to be done. A direct attack would have been welcome, by comparison. "Well," he began, "we can begin by determining who we can trust. I trust you, not only because you brought the information to me, but because you are the Queen's brother." And here he raised an eyebrow. "And I know that, your title notwithstanding, you are not in line for the throne. And why." Asuramaru said nothing. He did not blush; he'd halfway expected Guren to know about his little secret. "And you trust me. I know this, not only because you have told me this, but primarily because I'm still alive." Now Asuramaru raised a surprised eyebrow; Guren simply smiled a bleak smile. "I would feel the same, were our positions reversed, Prince Asuramaru. And, if you, an empath, trust your husband, then I trust him as well. In fact, I, too, feel as though he is one whom we can trust. And there is one more."

"Mikaela."

"Exactly. Which makes him ideal for a bodyguard for the Queen until such a time as we can determine who else we can trust."

"Mika, my boy…" said a drowsy voice from the bed. They both turned and looked at the intoxicated Rose Queen. "Come here, I need you…"

"Do you suppose he knows about…" Asuramaru nodded at his sister.

"I'm fairly sure he doesn't. The Queen has been very discreet about her...habit, shall we say. At least until now. I very much doubt he knows."

"He's going to have to," said Asuramaru, solemnly. "Just as he'll have to know about the plot."

Guren straightened up, looking towards the door. "Yes. It's going to come as a shock to him, I'm afraid, but it can't be helped. I'll get him up here, fill him in on matters as they stand. He'll make an ideal bodyguard, as I doubt we'll be able to pry him away from the Queen with a crowbar, anyway, once he does know." He turned back to Asuramaru. "For now, you'd best be getting on back to Captain Hyakuya. I'm sure he's worried. You can fill him in." Asuramaru smiled inwardly, careful not to let it reach his face. So Guren didn't know about their private little ritual. Or perhaps he _did_ know, and chose this means as a way of covering up that he knew. Asuramaru felt his inward smile fade at that possibility.

In such a short period of time, matters had gone so...wrong. Now, there was a plot afoot to kill the Queen, and nobody, with very few exceptions, could be trusted. "I know one person we definitely _can't_ trust," murmured Asuramaru.

Guren just nodded. "Crowley."

"Exactly."

 _Or can we?_

 _To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9: Destruction

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 9: Destruction

… _.._

 _Don't own, you know…_

…

Chapter 9: Destruction

"Are...are you sure?" Mika gasped out. This news-that someone was plotting to kill his queen, came as an incredible shock to him. "It must be some agent from the Empire. That's the only way it makes sense." The two were in Guren's office, not far from the royal quarters themselves. Running purely on instinct, Mika occasionally glanced down towards the queen's quarters. Guren doubted he was even aware of his doing it.

"The probability of that is high, but it doesn't necessarily have to be them. I'm sure, somewhere in Sanctuary Prime, there are individuals who feel slighted in some way, and fantasize about revenge. But in most such cases, that's as far as it goes. But for the prince to be so concerned, and he was, the thought must have been more than just a fantasy: whoever thought it must have a plan." He paused. "Really, I _hope_ it's some disaffected member of the city; they'd be the easiest to catch. But a spy? An inner agent?"

"Crowley," murmured Mika.

"Actually, I'm not sure he's all that high up on the list. Aside from the fact that he's still in bits and pieces—heavily guarded bits and pieces—he's too obvious: he'd be the first one we'd suspect.

"However. Our investigation of the high angel—and its ultimate effects on Crowley—is not general knowledge. Hm." He leaned back and chewed his lip. "His presence here may have been counted on to divert our attention away from the _real_ schemers. He could be completely unaware of the whole thing, not realize he's being used as a stalking-horse. If so, this could be the very time the assassins would strike, not knowing their scapegoat is in no condition to be a suspect." More lip chewing. "And if the Prince was able to sense their thoughts so clearly…" Mika turned pale; he saw what was coming next.

"...They may be readying to strike, right now."

…..

A universe away: It was a planet of teeming millions, a world of commerce and poverty, light and darkness, science and sorcery, freedom and oppression. It was also a world about to die.

The first indication of such death came when the planet began to glow from within, like a paper lantern. Then, in the next instant, the crust shattered, continent sized chunks breaking off, hurtling into space, only to be caught up in the same wave of destruction as the rest of the globe they'd just come from. Within seconds, there was nothing left of the planet except…

"Complete conversion to plasma," said a woman's voice. Human senses could never hear it, for it originated in the depths of space itself, a hard vacuum, where no sound should be able to propagate. Yet it did, through means humans would never understand. "You're getting better, darling." The speaker was a slender woman with purple hair, wearing a white, frilly dress that, like herself, floated in the weightless condition of space. In terms of physical beauty, she was so far beyond flawless that she would have barely seemed _real_ to any human observers, had any been present. She had her arm hooked around the arm of a large, heavily built man with hair so dark, it was invisible against the eternal night of space. The only way one could see it, the only way one could even know it was there, was that it had two lightning-like streaks of pure white that originated at his temples and coursed backwards, encircling his head. He was wearing what would appear to any human observer as a red jumpsuit, sleeveless, with a black undersuit beneath it, and heavy black leather boots. His arms were crossed, and he surveyed the expanding ball of plasma with a certain clinical detachment. But it was not his clothes or his expression that people took note of when first meeting him. Surrounding him was an aura of power beyond anything humans had ever conceived. Many otherwise strong-willed men had been terrified by his mere presence, and, in many cases, justifiably so. "I try, love. Even after all this time, I can still improve."

Another of the trio, who'd previously not spoken, sighed in the emptiness of space. He was a tall, slender man wearing a black shirt and white pants. His hair was startlingly white. But it was not his hair nor his clothes that normally drew people's attention; rather, it was his eyes. One was a normal human eye, but the other was a pure red pupil, glowing softly, surrounded by black sclera. "As always, father, I know you did what was best. But I cannot help but wish there had been some other way."

The man—the being—looked at him fondly. Of all the beings in all the multiverses, these two were the only ones who dared speak to him thus. "I know you do, son. But you, yourself, saw. They defied my laws not once, but many times. I gave them chance after chance. They knew the consequences. Given the circumstances, no other response would have been appropriate."

The purple-haired woman floated over to the younger man's side. "Just think of all the people we've saved, Ken. This will serve as an example of what will happen to those who so cruelly use others."

"I know, mom. It's just…" He trailed off.

"You feel compassion, even for those who had none, themselves. I approve of that, son," said the being—the god—known throughout the multiverse as _Dama Kan,_ the Destroyer God. "That is why I need you." He put his hand on Ken's shoulder. "I need to keep that connection with basic humanity, with mortal sensibilities, with codes of morality and conduct. I was never mortal, so such a connection is worth more to me than any number of worlds." A glimmer came into his eyes. "Even if you _weren't_ my own son. You may not be of my flesh, but you are certainly of my spirit." The plasma wave continued to expand. The trio's senses—far beyond anything humans had—told them of the many ships waiting at the outer perimeter, waiting and watching to see what would happen to a world that had defied the _Dama Kan_. Soon, the light from the destroyed world would reach them. Then they'd know. The Destroyer God half-turned, and nodded towards the ships. "Let them see what they will. For now, I'd say we've done all that's needed to be done here. Now, if the Imperium wishes to continue our...discussion," something like a cold bolt of lightning flickered in his night black eyes, the bolt beginning in his left eye and continuing on into his right, "I'll be more than happy to continue it with them. But for now, let's go home, shall we? Rize?" And he offered his arm to the purple-haired woman.

She eagerly took it, the arm of her love, the Destroyer, whom some called _Chaos,_ but whom she knew by another name _._ "Yes, Ben, let's go. Ken?"

The dark garbed man looked back at the expanding cloud of plasma. Then he turned to the other two. He smiled a sad smile. "Yes, mom. I'm coming."

And with that, the _Dama Kan_ opened a portal to an indescribable region they'd come to call home. "Let's go." And the trio simple flew through the portal…

...and disappeared from mortal senses.

…

Earth again, a bit earlier: "Are...are you sure?" Mika gasped out. This news-that someone was plotting to kill his queen, came as an incredible shock to him. "Do you suppose it's some agent from the Empire? That's the only way it makes sense." The two were in Guren's office, not far from the royal quarters themselves. Running purely on instinct, Mika occasionally glanced down towards the queen's quarters. Guren doubted he was even aware of doing it.

"The probability of that is high, but it doesn't necessarily have to be them. I'm sure, somewhere in Sanctuary Prime, there are individuals who feel slighted in some way, and fantasize about revenge. But in most such cases, that's as far as it goes. But for the prince to be so concerned, and he was, the thought must have been more than just a fantasy: whoever thought it must have a plan." He paused. "Really, I _hope_ it's some disaffected member of the city; they'd be the easiest to catch. But a spy? An inner agent?"

"Crowley," murmured Mika.

"Actually, I'm not sure he's all that high up on the list. Aside from the fact that he's still in bits and pieces—heavily guarded bits and pieces—he's too obvious: he'd be the first one we'd suspect.

"However. Our investigation of the high angel—and what happened to Crowley—is not general knowledge. Whoever it is, I doubt they're aware of his condition. Hm." He leaned back and chewed his lip. For a moment, something seemed off, but he dismissed it as a touch of _deja vu._ "I'm fairly certain it's something to do with the Empire, and his presence here may have been counted on, all along, to divert our attention away from the _real_ assassins. He could even be completely unaware of the whole thing, not realize he's being used as a stalking-horse. If so, this could be the very time the assassins would strike, not knowing their scapegoat is in no condition to be a suspect." More lip chewing. "And if the Prince was able to sense their thoughts so clearly…" Mika turned pale; he saw what was coming next.

"...They may be preparing their killing stroke, right now."

… _.._

"I suppose that's all for now." He got up and turned around to get some papers to hand to Mika. "Here. I'll need you to si-*"

He was talking to an empty room.

Mika had done a fair imitation of a lightning bolt down the corridors to his Queen's quarters. He frantically punched in the override code he'd pilfered from Guren's files. After all, he had known, one day, that he'd have need of it, and forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission. "My Queen! Are you alright?" He'd entered the room sword drawn, ready to take on an army in defense of his liege.

There was an odd smell in the air. "Mika, my boy. Come here. I need you."

"Huh?" In the darkness, he could see her kneeling on her sumptuous bed. "Is...are you okay?"

"Mm, yes. Come here, Mika, dear boy. I have a project for you."

"Anything, my Queen! You know I will gladly lay down my life for you!"

"It's nothin' all that serious. You needn't be so— _hic!_ —dramatic. Jus'...this is somethin' I've been wantin' to— _hic!_ —say to you for some— _hic!_ —some time now..." He moved closer to her silhouette. Something was a little off about her speech. And what was with these hiccups? Vampires don't get hiccups.

All of a sudden, she raised her arms and leaped straight at him. _"Cowabungaaaa!"_

"Eeeep!"

…

An infinite number of universes away, in an entirely different level of reality: "Mai?" Mai had been playing with some colors. Now she looked up at the tall, white-haired man dressed in black, standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

"Big brother!" She dropped the colors and ran over to him, catching him in a hug. "Where did you go this time? What was it like there? What did you do? _I_ wanna go on these trips sometime! They sound like fun!"

The tall man had knelt down to catch his little sister. "Perhaps we will, someday. But you still need to study your lessons first. Father is very strict about that, you know."

She pouted. " _Too_ strict. Can't I have any fun?"

"You will, that's a promise. Besides, a lot of this stuff is business. You'd be bored stiff. Now, listen. I stopped by because I just got some information, some very serious information, and when I tell Father about it, I'm afraid we'll be off again."

"Oh, no!"

"It's alright, Mai. I'll make it up to you when I get back. But people's lives are at stake; we can't wait on this."

"I thought Father could make time do stuff, make things not happen."

"He can, but first something has to _happen,_ see. And that's what we've got to go see about. It won't wait for us. After all, it's really better if these bad things don't happen in the first place, you see?"

She saw, but her disappointment was still plain. "Phooey. I wanted to go to the fair, back on Earth."

"We'll go...when I get back. You've my word on that. I don't care what else happens, Creation will just have to take care of itself for a bit. Besides, I'm sure mother and Father can handle some things without my input. Look." He changed his tactics. "I'll bring you something back from this world we're going to. How's that? What would you like?"

"A pony!" No hesitation.

"Ah, well, this world we're going to, I don't think they have ponies. What about…" He thought. "What about a vampire? Your own personal vampire? Vampires are cool. And I hear this world is positively lousy with those."

 _To be continued…_


	10. Chapter 10: Convergence

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Protectorate

Chapter 10: Convergence

…

 _Don't say you weren't warned!_

…

Chapter 10: Convergence

 _Somewhere, nowhere, anywhere, everywhere_ : The throne room: the tall man dressed in black walked casually up to what all the myriad universes acknowledged as the very center of Power itself. Seated on the throne—more of an impressively comfortable and custom-designed armchair, actually—was the humanoid figure whose realm this was. He attired in what appeared to be red coveralls with a black undersuit that came down his arms, and in the "V" shaped open part of his upper garment, with black work boots on his feet. No flashy adornments; the monarch of this realm and so many others had no need of such things.

But floating over his head was a red flag with his own personal golden sigil: that of _Dama Kan,_ the Destroyer God.

Seated next to him was the eye-catchingly beautiful woman dressed in a white, frilly dress, fringed in purple, the same color as her hair. "Father? Mother? I have just been made aware of something I think you'd want to know about."

"Oh, please, son," said the being on the throne, "Can't it wait? Even Destroyer Gods need a breather, once in a while."

"Very well," said the man in black. "I'll just save this for later." He turned to go away."

"Wait." The black garbed man turned. "You know me well enough to know I _have_ to see what's so important that it'd come to your attention so soon after we got back, son. So give, already. Spill."

"It's this." He raised his palm upward, and a cone of light sprang from it, forming a holographic image in the air. Both parties on their respective thrones leaned forward, gazing into the images thus displayed.

Then the red-garbed figure stood up, an expression on his face like a fast-building thunderstorm.

The _Dama Kan_ was _angry._

A low rumble spread throughout the entire complex, permeating every stone in the palace and far beyond, causing ripples to criss-cross in the pools outside. The attendants—inhuman beings that looked like a cross between a bear and a wild boar—rushed to activate certain controls hidden behind the curtains on the side wall.

The woman in white jumped up and grabbed her love's arm. "Come on, son! I think we're about to do some traveling!" she shouted, excitedly.

But the man in black had already firmly latched onto his Father's elbow. "I'm ready, mom!" He was just as excited, perhaps more so.

There was a roar that reverberated throughout the palace and far beyond, and a blinding cyclone of energy sprang up around them. The rooftop doors barely had time to move out of the way; the energy cylinder spiraled through them like a waterfall in reverse. Within, had one been able to see, three forms were flying through the Void Outside the universe, outside all universes, moving at an impossible speed towards an impossibly distant pinpoint of light so far away, mortal eyes would have been unable to see it, even with instruments. But these three hadn't been mortal for a long time now.

Behind them, the attendants sighed in relief. At least they wouldn't have to replace the roof, this time.

…...

Asuramaru returned to their quarters to see an unwelcome sight: Yu was twisting and turning in the bed. He hadn't been gone that long; the narcotic might have worn off, but Yu should still be sleeping off their night's little adventure. With the speed of long practice, he tied up his hair, slid out of his dress, and slipped into bed with Yu. "Yu? Honey? What's wrong?" Usually, after their ritual, Yu slept like a rock.

Yu only moaned softly, twisting and turning, hands opening and closing. He was obviously dreaming, but about what?

But Yu didn't wake up, nor did he murmur anything about what could be troubling him so. The worried Maru all the more. "Okay, lover. Hold on. I'm coming in." And with that, he effortlessly meshed brain wave patterns and slipped into Yu's sleeping mind.

A kaleidoscope of indescribable colors and shapes. Usually, Maru knew from experience, dreams, any dreams, partook of the mortal's waking life. After all, that was all mortals had to work with. But this...this was completely different. Asuramaru could find no frame of reference, nothing familiar in Yu's mind. This worried him all the more; was Yu losing his sanity? _C'mon, Yu, where are you?_ If he could just locate Yu's core mind, he could drag him back to the real world...but it was nowhere to be found. _Yu! Where are you?_ _Come back to me! Please!_

 _I have to find you!_

But even though Maru exerted his formidable powers to the max, he still could find no trace of Yu anywhere in his head

….

Krul awoke with a splitting headache. What…? Oh. Right. She thought she'd controlled her intake, but apparently this time she'd had a bit much.

Wait. She was in her own bed. She clearly remembered being in the throne room, going over endless reports…

So that meant someone had _put_ her here. Oh, no. Who could it have been? Whoever it was, her little secret was totally blown.

Then she noticed she wasn't alone.

Mika was stretched out beside her, face up, apparently completely unconscious, his sword drawn, body composed and relaxed. Oh, no. Had _Mika_ found her out?

Had—gods forbid—had she _attacked_ him?

But a quick examination revealed no signs of assault. He was alive, his breathing deep and normal, there were no bite marks on his neck or body anywhere she could see, and his clothing was unmarked and undisturbed. "Mika? Mika! Wake up!" She jostled him. "Mika!" He made absolutely no sound and did not move.

She hit a button on her nightstand. "General? Get up here. Bring a medic."

" _At once, My Queen."_

Mika stirred, and Krul's heart leaped. Maybe he was okay. "Mika? Mika! Wake up!" She jiggled his hand.

"I...my Queen, I…" He reached up and rubbed his eyes, as though coming out of a deep, deep sleep. "I...wait!" He suddenly shot to his feet, sword in hand, scanning the room. "My Queen, get behind me! The Dark Man!"

She came up to him and took him by the arm. "Stand down, Mika. We're alone here now…" Something about his words and his actions struck some kind of special chord within her, a chord that began to vibrate all the stronger with each passing second. "There's no Dark Man. It's all right." Gradually, she got him down from combat mode, to where they were just sitting, on Krul's bed. Mika was holding his head as though it hurt. "Mika? What do you remember?"

"I...My Queen, I came in, and, and you were kneeling on the bed, facing me. But, but behind you, there was this, this tall man in black. He...he had white hair, he was holding something in his hand. I remember thinking there seemed to be something strange about one of his eyes… I raised my sword, of course...but that's the last thing I remember. My Queen!" He turned to her. She could hear the sounds of the emergency medics coming. "You are alright, aren't you? He didn't harm you?"

She smiled at him. "No, Mika, he didn't do anything to me. Probably because you interrupted him." Something occurred to her, some impulsive behavior….well, why the hell not, anyway? "You saved me, Mika." And she reached up and gave a very surprised Mika a thoroughly sensuous kiss, full on the lips. "Thank you, my Knight," she whispered in the ear of a very surprised First Knight.

Surprised, but... _That kiss!_

The EMT's, along with Guren, were now pouring into the room. Guren, who was accompanying them, had his left hand on the scabbard of his sword, ready to draw it with his right, should there be need. "General. Please see that Mikaela Hyakuya here, gets a full medical examination and any treatment he needs. And General," now she turned to him. A very serious Rose Queen was back. "I want you to review every security measure, security cams, everything." She nodded to Mika, now being loaded onto a gurney ( _"I'm perfectly fine! See to the Queen!"_ ). "My Knight, here, saved me from some villainy; he spoke of a man garbed in black, who had white hair, and odd looking eyes.

"I want to know who, here in the castle, fits that description."

…

An increasingly alarmed Asuramaru was still searching in the kaleidoscopic madness that was somehow connected to Yu's dream. Searching, searching…

Far, far off—although distance was hard to measure in this realm that seemed to have no distance—he could see two nodes of power, incredible power, like miniature suns approaching. They seemed to be approaching rapidly, although speed, like distance, was nearly impossible to gauge. _{{Beware, Ashura Tepes,}}_ said a voice in his mind, _{{they are coming. You must prepare.}}_ Somehow, he could tell it emanated from the two cells approaching him.

 _{{Where is Yu?}}_ he demanded of them. _{{What have you done with him?}}_

 _{{He is not our concern. Your world, all that you know, is in danger. You must prepare.}}_ Now they were closer still, and Asuramaru could make out more detail about them. They seemed to be humanoid beings, but unlike any humanoids he'd ever seen: a man and a woman, flying at incredible speed towards him.

 _{{Who are you?}}_

 _{{It is not who we are, but what we are.}}_

 _{{What is that?}}_

 _{{Hope.}}_

…

Maru's features firmed up. He wasn't going anywhere without Yu, no matter who or what was approaching. Then he heard a gasp behind him. Whirling around, he saw…

...himself.

…..

"Who...who are you?"

"I'm...Asuramaru." Maru could feel the _Other_ reaching out with supernatural senses identical to his own. "Asuramaru Tepes. Who the hell are you?"

" _I'm_ Asuramaru. Or…" Maru's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe I'm _an_ Asuramaru _?_ " There was something oddly familiar about the slender form floating in front of him, about his aura, not just his overall features, but... "Wait!" He thrust out a finger towards the other. "I recognize you! You're that, that version of me that went out into the snow to die, after you thought you'd killed your Yuichiro!"

The _Other_ drew back, alarm on his features. "And just how the fuck did you know about that?"

"Because I the fuck had a dream about it. I thought it was only a dream." He paused, again narrowing his eyes. "Except it wasn't just a dream, was it?"

The other Asuramaru's face was a study in confusion. "This seems to be getting a bit...complicated."

….

What might best be described as "moments earlier," if time had had any meaning in this place: "Father, I believe I'll go on ahead, if you don't mind. See what new information I can gather."

"Do that, son," said the figure in red. "Rize and I will be along shortly. I think it safe to say," and here, he smiled a feral smile, "I think it safe to say that matters will change dramatically once we arrive, so, yes, a little soft recon is in order before that happens. But be warned," he said, solemnly, "I sense the _Others_ are approaching. Don't engage them on your own. I know you've grown in power, but you're nowhere near as mighty as they are, and your mother would give me no end of grief if I lost you. Wouldn't you, dear?" He turned and gazed fondly at the purple haired women flying along with him.

"At _least_ a million years of it. Maybe longer, love." She turned to Ken. "So do be careful, son. Besides, you promised Mai you'd take her to the fair. Don't disappoint her."

"I won't, mom." He pecked her on the cheek. And with that, the Uplifted, highly evolved being once known on another Earth as Ken Kaneki split away from the others, and slipped through the aether between worlds towards their target.

….

An indescribable nothingness that was also everythingness: "So you survived? Yu rescued you?"

"Well, _technically_ ," said the other, crossing his arms and turning slightly away, "it was Gekkoin who rescued us both. He said Yu's little human friend insisted."

Maru's mouth quirked in a lopsided smile. So this version of him still had some issues about being rescued by a "mere" human. The other cast a nervous glance at the two approaching nodes. "What are they?"

"They haven't been too forthcoming with that information," said Maru, "But we'd best get somewhere out of their wa—*" Then they both heard another gasp, whirled around there in the emptiness / everythingness and saw…

...yet another Asuramaru, but this one had a bulging, distended belly. He had his hands up over his mouth, an expression of utter surprise on his face, as he took in the two others. The other two looked at him, then, as one, their eyes dropped to his protruding tummy.

"This isn't what it looks like!" said Ashura Tepes, a panicked look in his eyes.

"I sure _hope_ it's not!" said the other two, in perfect unison.

"As do I," said yet another, strange, slightly deeper voice. They all turned to see a vampire in a night-black cloak and pants, complete with red-lined cape, wearing a white ruffled shirt, and carrying a cutlass-style sword. The sword itself glittered with the purple and black of a cursed weapon.

"Wait!" said the Asuramaru with the lump on his belly. "I know you! You're the Vampire Prince from the story book!"

 _To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 11: Timelines

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End

Chapter 11: Timelines

…..

 _Don't own, you know. Bu I need reviews here people. If you want to see further chapters, review. If not, then oh well._

… _.._

Chapter 11: Timelines

 _Continued, partially, from Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: Going Bananas_

… _.._

The Prince drew back slightly. "Have we met?"

"No, but I-* Oh, it's complicated!" And he quickly blurted out the events that led him here. "..."...so _of course_ I jumped in after the big lummox. He'll get us all killed. He might, yet," said the floating Asuramaru, with the others dividing their attention between him, his "baby bump," and the oncoming whatevers. "He damn near did back in the real world, several times. Who knows what hell he could unleash here!" He gestured to the formless chaos around them.

"And all that's _bananas?"_ said another floating Asuramaru, incredulously, his eyes on the bump.

"Well, _of course_ it's bananas! What, er, what else could it be?" This last said a bit nervously.

"Look," said the first Maru, glancing nervously at the approaching beings, "we've gotta get out of here. I don't know what those things are, but I'd sooner stand in front of a freight train. Come on. There's a portal to my universe right over here…You, too, Prince."

…..

It was a bit of a crowd in Maru's and Yu's bedchamber. Asuramaru Two glanced over at Yu's unconscious body, still twisting slightly. "He...he's okay, isn't he?" Maru felt a touch of jealousy, but he quickly stomped on it. This wasn't the time or place for such. And, anyway, that was a different Yu.

"Yes, he's fine. Er, well, actually, I don't know. We all need to do some catch-up here, though. You," he pointed to the second Asuramaru, "How did you come to be...wherever it was we came from?"

"We...I mean, my Yu an' I...were...well, in bed, and, and, you know, when this, this _thing_ , this black vortex appeared behind him. He was drawn through it, right out of my arms...I didn't want to let go, but I was afraid if I tried to pull him back, I'd tear his arms off...so…" He gestured lamely at his surroundings.

"That sounds about right. Prince?"

The Vampire Prince was still adjusting to the strangeness of it all, but he sheathed his sword (and all the Asuramaru's present noted its aura was not that of an ordinary cursed weapon...puzzling). "I...the princess Viola was recounting to me of her upbringing, such as it was, by that bastard pretender, when something very similar to what you described appeared behind her. She was sucked into it. Naturally, I sprang to her defense-after all, she is my...guest-but could not locate her in that...place we were in. I found the three of you, instead."

"I can't believe that was all accidental," Maru bit his lip. "Each of our-" He started to say "Yu's," but remembered, from the Prince's account. However, he _had_ said his "princess" _did_ bear a strong resemblance to the one on the sheets. "Our _people_ seem to've been drawn into this vortex more or less at the same time...only in my case, somehow his body got left here." He felt a hitch of breath, which he quickly concealed. He _would_ bring Yu back, even if he had to go through Hell itself to do so.

 _Yu,_ thought Maru, _you are simply not gonna believe all this when I tell you. But the look on your face will be priceless._

The second Asuramaru was eyeing the baby- bump one. "You, uh, don't, like have any, y'know, cravings or anything, do ya?"

"Of COURSE I DON'T! What's THAT supposed to mean!?" said bumped Asuramaru. Truth was, he _was_ finding himself a bit hungry for some pickles...bread and butter pickles, but, but he'd always liked those!

That couldn't mean anything!

It just couldn't!

….

 _1200 years before:_ Ashura Tepes was languishing in his cell, a ball of lead chained to his ankle. It hadn't been the worst day of his imprisonment here.

Well, strike that. He guessed it could very well have been.

He heard a clanking of chains from the door. "Wake, up, boy. I've found a buyer for you."

…..

He was ushered into the throne room of his captor. There, before him was perhaps the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She had light purple hair, flowing down her back, and was wearing a white frilled dress edged with purple to match her hair-and, now that he noticed it, her eyes as well. Although young, such was her beauty that Ashura's breath caught in his throat. Who-?

The woman smiled and walked over to him. She moved so smoothly, it almost seemed as though she floated, ever so slightly, off the ground. "Hello, Ashura," she smiled, hands in front of her in a relaxed position. "You may find this hard to believe, but I've waited...a very long time to meet you." She looked him over, noting the bruises, the scars. She turned to the seated figure, raised an eyebrow. "I was given to understand the...merchandise...was unharmed? Was I misinformed?" There was something about her voice than made the simply question sound more frightening than any threat.

Ashura's captor squirmed. He wasn't accustomed to being made so nervous, here in the very center of his power. "He is, in all essentials, unharmed. He hasn't even been castrated, yet."

"I _see,_ " said the strange woman, her eyes narrowing. There was something about her expression that no-one in the room liked. "I note he has been sexually assaulted."

The king _hurrumphed,_ trying to regain control, and failing. "Yes, one of our guards-"

"Bring that man here. To me. Now." Such was the snap of command in her voice that the guards did not hesitate, not even waiting for confirmation from their king.

Presently, they returned with a large, disheveled man wearing standard slave guard attire. "Did you," asked the purple woman, "use this child for your own gratification?"

"Yeah," he grunted, without any sign of remorse. "So? He's just a slave."

"And _you_ are just meat, blood, and bones. As I shall now demonstrate."

What followed was horrific, even by the barbarians' standards. The man's skin was ripped off of him by unseen means, his muscle tissue ripping free next, blood literally spraying all around him. The whole time, the man screamed and screamed, but he was kept from lapsing into unconsciousness from shock. It was obvious to all that he felt every tear, every rip, every violation of his physical form.

Finally, there was nothing left but his skeleton, held upright and together by the same invisible means. And still, incredibly, death was denied him. His jawbone worked in a soundless scream, but he'd long since lost the muscle tissue to vocalize his agony. Finally, the purple haired woman nodded in satisfaction. "That will do, I think." And the skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones, as clean of meat as if they'd been placed on an anthill. "For now, at least.

"Consider this a lesson in anatomy, if nothing else." The purple haired woman turned to the king. "I believe our bargain was for undamaged goods. I consider this child's misuse to be damage."

The king was, like the rest of the entire court, in a state of complete shock. He'd known this strange woman to be more than human, but the level of sheer _viciousness_ , and lack of mercy, coupled with her obvious power, had stunned him. Transfixed on his makeshift throne, all he could do was make unintelligible sounds, his gaze fixed on the red splotch where a human being had once stood.

"But I nonetheless did promise you more than adequate recompense for your...merchandise. Did I not?" Without waiting for any reply, she glided over to Ashura, and placed her hands on his shoulders. The chains he'd been wearing literally _exploded_ off of him, and he looked up in wonder. Who-? "Close your eyes, child."

The nuclear fireball scoured a radius of fifty miles from the epicenter, completely clean of life, or any sign thereof.

….

Sanctuary Prime: Maru suddenly stumbled, putting his hand to his head. Asuramaru Two caught him. "You okay?"

"Yes. No. I don't know what just happened, but...it was like the old human saying: someone just walked over my grave."

….

"But, I, I really don't understand, Miss Rize. Why am I so important?" The strange woman had taken him to a very strange place. All around him were colors that should not be, shapes that couldn't exist...they were floating weightless in the midst of chaos.

"In and of yourself, perhaps you are not. But you, Ashura Tepes, hold the key to the future. A future in which you figure prominently. I intend to see to it that you have that future, a better future than you would have had otherwise. But," she sighed, "I've already interfered with the timeline. Now I have to figure out how to put it back together, and include you in that better future."

…..

Twin fireballs fell from the sky far out in the vast waste area between the borders of the Western State and the Eastern Empire. Such was the energy with which they fell that they sent seismic vibrations throughout the entire hemisphere. In his hospital room, a gradually reassembling Eustace Crowley barely had the strength to punch the "call" button. To the surly guard who entered, he whispered: _"Tell...the Queen...they're here…_

" _Only hope...in the dome…"_

 _To be continued…_


End file.
